Chronicles of Absolution: Over the Edge
by Kirabaros
Summary: 5.03 Lucifer is stepping up the game and it looks like Sam and Angie are now caught in a place that could mean life and death while Adam, Mac and Tsura along with Cerebus attempt to keep Angie's body safe. Someone will get pushed over the edge.
1. Chapter 1

**Chronicles of Absolution: Over the Edge**

 **Chapter 1**

 _Then_

… _The burning was nearly unbearable. The funny thing was she had been burned this bad before and had blisters but it was like a combination of tools with a little bit of personality mojo or something. It also didn't help that she was struggling so much against her bonds once they were clapped on. It was second nature and too much of a reminder of another time. Then he came out._

 _"You really never cease to amaze me my pretty. All the times you should have been dead and yet here you are back in the pan. What do you think you can accomplish?"_

… _Alistair was no stranger to her. She was no stranger to his ways. She had been young and foolish and then paid the price. Now the price seemed to be constant damnation from him now that he was topside. She had to watch as he played shoot with rock salt with the boys but an idea came to her and she spent time in concentration over that…_

… She wanted revenge at one point but she had a severe wake up call to get her on the path she was on now. It was why she preferred to 'run' when confronted with anyone related to Alistair and his usual cohort. She wouldn't hesitate to fight but the tight reins were kept on the beast known as revenge.

Now she was faced with a chance to live that fantasy but that would mean she would have to become what Dean only got a taste of…

… Alistair noticed the look. He grinned, "No. You wouldn't."

"Wouldn't what?" Angela raised her brow.

"Fine be the animal you are," Alistair taunted.

"With pleasure," Angela replied. She had leaned close and with a fell swoop she closed her teeth between the shoulder and the neck. Her fangs pierced the skin and she felt the sanguine taste of blood hit her tongue.

… "One of us who was born mortal… and earthbound," Amitiel replied using the word that recalled memory within all the angels who learned of that one…

… "Absolution is born of light and darkness and yet is a champion of Father's greatest creation. She will find us and set us free."

… "Stop, Lucifer. You know you can't hurt her." Michael held up his hand in a placating gesture. "You can't kill her."

"Why not?"

"You know why."

… _There are three great things in life my little bambina. You are capable of all three but the greatest comes from your heart and soul._

 _It's your greatest weapon Cat._

 _Nothing means anything if you can't forgive yourself…_

… _I choose you, Sam, my family and in the end… maybe that is all that matters._

… _It was never about all of us getting out. It was about you. You don't belong here. We do because we made that choice._

 _I can still get at least you out._

 _No little light. This is one journey that I can't make._

… Hell just wasn't a place that held those who were damned. It was meant to torture. It was meant to make you relive the moments that led you to damnation. That was the case with most. In the end the soul became so consumed with guilt that they gave away to not deal with the pain anymore. Then they became the demons that possessed and tormented the mortals topside. It was a fate that sounded terrible but most who became demons lost their memories of being human or they remembered and they just didn't care…

… _Protector._

… Lucifer called it a feedback. Sam was familiar with the concept but more with electronics. What Lucifer did was something that he didn't understand. He did get that it had to do with the fact that Lucifer liked to play with the scar on his shoulder; where Angela bit him their first night having sex. Every time the devil touched him there, a shiver would hit his spine along with needle sharp pain that was unlike anything he had ever felt before. The worst part of the whole thing was that every the devil did it, he had to watch Angela react at the same time…

… Sam had no regrets when it came to those moments with Angela. He loved being with her and the times they had, he could almost forget the crappy life that was before him as a hunter. She made things better. It wasn't the grandiose things but the little things that made the difference. And not just for him but for his brother, Bobby… and anyone else. He didn't regret knowing her. She was the best thing in his life…

… _I love you Angie. Maybe it is the worst time ever but… I don't care if it means getting to spend any amount of time with you, making you happy. If I have a lifetime with you, I'll take it. Always and forever._

Angela closed her eyes and murmured, "Always and forever." As she said it the thunder started to rumble and the lightning clashed. The aurora borealis started to change colors…

… She looked at him with a piercing look that was gentle. She placed her hand on his hip and adjusted her position to look at him. She repeated, "I have always been here, Sam. You just couldn't see me. Not until you said that you trusted me."

Sam frowned at that. He had said that he had trusted her every single time she asked. When was that? It wasn't making much sense to him. "I've always said that I trusted you. Always and forever."

She smiled at him and replied, "The last time."

Sam thought about it. The last time he said that he trusted her… It then dawned on him. It was the night she handed him a vial of her blood. He remembered because he nearly spat it out and it was out of fear because of the last time he tasted her blood and how good it tasted…

… "That wasn't the case." She looked at him and pressed her hand on his hip to calm him down. "It was done so that I would be with you while I searched for you."

Sam stopped his movements when he felt the pressure on his hip. It was then that he noticed that his body wasn't in as much pain as before. He looked at her and tried to make sense of what she was saying. "What are you saying?"

"What I am saying is… what I did was to make sure you weren't alone." She looked at him as she lowered her hand to the cot. "But I didn't know and still don't know of this me just as I don't know of you."

"Angie, you aren't making much sense."

"I am her but not her. I am the part of her that belongs to you."

… "She is more than capable." Lucifer paced a little as he kept an eye on Adam. He grinned in that knowing way. "More than anyone in the world knows. She is a beauty that the world doesn't deserve. Much less Sam."

"Is that what this is? Some jealousy spat?" Adam raised his brow as he looked up at the devil…

… "She is mine. Always was meant to be," Lucifer offered in a nonchalant manner. He kneeled to look at Adam in the eye. "Sam is just an inconsequential side dish though it was always meant to be him. He is my true vessel."

… "She is part of events that you have no inkling of. I'm just trying to make her remember."

… She was certain that her downward spiral began when she found out that her father gave his life to bring her back from the dead. She remembered what happened to her. She remembered when Brady caught her from behind and held her; he had gotten the jump on her when she went to chase after him. And it was when her father said not to go.

She had been an arrogant youth then. Back then, she didn't have that self-loathing…

… she plowed through the centuries, twice venturing into hell on a mission for rescue and subterfuge. The third time… it was a trap and was what did her in with regards to how she viewed herself. And it was done but someone she thought was a friend.

That last time was when Alistair and Lenya went to town on her. She was tortured under the knife and then a victim was left in her cell to feed on since they drove her to the point where she could die. She held out as long as she could, refusing to touch the human souls who were sentenced to eternity in hell. She let loose on the demons and had been forced into fight after fight. The high she was on after drinking demon blood… She remembered how it felt and it was how she understood how Sam felt when he thought it was the answer in the beginning.

Then she killed a soul by draining him dry. It was one of Alistair's machinations and opened the door to make her see what she was. She couldn't stop drinking demon blood and yet she hated herself that she wanted to. She created her own hell literally to the point where she plotted to escape and be like a sick animal to wander off and die alone and secluded. It didn't turn out that way with Cian and the others that paved the way for her to get out of the lower levels and back to where Gabriel retrieved her and brought her to Karnak.

True she had recovered but it never left. The fact that she would never be free from them…

… Lucifer rolled his eyes slightly and looked back at his brother. "You know that she will just fight and more likely… well it wouldn't ever be like that but you get the idea." He pressed against Sam and grinned when he heard Sam's grunt mingled with a whimper. "And what Sam said was gross simplification. Yes, there was sex involved but so much more."

"Like I care."

"You should," Lucifer counseled, "Because when I do this." He pressed hard on Sam's left shoulder and even harder when Sam cried out again in pain. "When I do this, she will know and all that will do is make her angry. She knows what I am doing and what you are doing." He looked at his brother with a pointed look.

Michael listened to Lucifer and watched Sam's reaction. It occurred to him what Lucifer was talking about. There was no way that should have happened…

… "Huh. I always knew that she would take care of them. It's fun to see her get so violent."

"You wanted her to do this?" Michael gestured at the image.

"You know a better way to get her to remember?"

… . He felt for her and it felt like his own heart was having a hard time breathing and it had nothing to do with the fact that he was pinned to the wall. He even felt a twinge in his arm when she winced from the pain in her arm. It wasn't like when Lucifer pressed on his neck with his thumb but close enough. It still tingled when she stopped wincing…

… He had arrived to find Angela clutching the dead man Hawkins and soothing him through his last moments and when she stood up, she suddenly doubled over in pain that wasn't caused by the apparent injury to her arm and she hadn't really suffered any heavy blows to her body. It even scared the girl and boy…

… Yet there was something nagging her at the back of her mind. It was familiar and she was astute enough to recognize it as distinctly Sam…

… "So… what do you want to do?"

Angela shifted to look at the flames. Hawkins' body was being consumed by the fire. She knew what she had to do and sighed. "He wants a war… he'll get one."

"Right with you."

 _Now_

The rain was coming down in torrents. The storm had been steadily growing worse as the night wore on. It was the kind that made it into stories. The ones that predated things like a ship capsizing or something big was coming. It was the kind that restricted movement like troop movement. At the moment, Adam was grateful that it was powerful enough to keep them inside while also possibly keeping Lucifer and Michael off their backs.

Leaning against the wall of the cave that they had sought shelter in, Adam sighed as he watched the intense downpour. It was like watching those movies with the rainstorm and then the dinosaur came and got you. That was not likely the case but considering what he had seen since Angela rescued him from being Michael's vessel… it wouldn't surprise him if Lucifer decided to make a T-rex appear out of nowhere and eat them.

"Here, you left this."

Adam shifted and saw Mac handing him a pistol. He looked at it with a bland expression before reaching for it. He didn't like using it but he had to learn fast. Ever since he said he had been on board with Angela stepping up the game and essentially declaring all out war against Lucifer, he had been constantly fighting. And it wasn't always against the goons Lucifer came up with. It was also a fight for survival.

Mac had been helpful despite being the fact that he wasn't real and he took it pretty well. He showed Adam the finer points of shooting while on the run and Angela helped a little as well but she claimed that Mac was the best even though that man claimed that she was better having managed to fend off Redcoats and folks claiming to be Confederates, not to mention some Russians who were being terrorists in their own country. It was the kind of thing to get kids starry eyed but it put some perspective in place for Adam as he would glance at her while she attended to other matters. It popped up when he wasn't undergoing Mac's training.

Taking the gun, he looked at it and checked it to make sure it was good to go. "Funny how I have to put my trust in something that is not real." He gave a rather lopsided grin at Mac.

"Real enough if you can touch and feel. Might as well make use of it," Mac replied with a grin of his own. He patted Adam on the shoulder, "I'll take first watch. Even with this downpour, still need to stay frosty."

Adam listened to the Scot and his accent before looking further into the cave. He looked back and shook his head, "I'm okay doing this."

Mac turned when Adam did and then looked at the younger man. "No use worrying about it now. We took a beating. Luckily we got the storm to recuperate."

Adam felt his throat convulse at Mac's assessment. He looked back further into the cave where the fire was burning to provide much needed warmth. He looked at Mac and asked in a low voice, "Have you ever…" He made a slight gesture in the direction of the fire.

"I've seen a bit but…" Mac turned back and then looked forward. "It never gets any easier mate. I'm a soldier and I've seen friends go down and some die."

Adam made a slight sound before settling in to take watch. He knew Mac was giving him the chance to take a breather but he was still high strung from earlier. He needed to do this to wind down but everything was still going to be tense. This was a bit of an energy output for him.

He had no idea how long they had been at this constant fighting since the day Hawkins bought it. He rather missed the annoying man who teased him about his sexuality but it seemed like there was hardly any time to mourn. Rather it was push, push, push, and he understood now better how men like Mac worked when they were sent wherever. The last one though hit them hard.

With the stops pulled out, it seemed that Lucifer was using everything in his and Angela's heads to slow them down and break them down. He remembered coming across a couple incidents from when he was in school and then there was when he actually did die because of the ghouls. It was nasty but at least he wasn't dead. Angela and Mac ended up taking care of it with head shots. Most of it though was gleaned from Angela's experiences and given that she was the eldest of all of them there, there was plenty of material to work with.

The last one ended up being from the time she was in Russia with Mac. Even Mac was impressed at the level of detail after Angela snarked him about remembering Altay very differently. The banter amused him and it was easy to see that she and this Mac person were very good friends. He suspected that they were close and it had him wondering why she didn't develop any feelings for Mac. They both understood each other very well and from the stories told, they started out hating each other but being thrust into battle put a different perspective on things.

This battle had to do with the last mission that ended with them going through a village. Adam thought he was stuck in the middle of a war movie with people, supposedly Russians shooting at them. They were outnumbered and outgunned when they walked in but that was quickly rectified when Mac's squad appeared out of nowhere and started firing and barking orders.

They managed to avoid much of the fighting but they still had to be on the alert. As much as this wasn't real in terms that it happened years ago and there were some alterations, the effects were very much real. Adam had debris fly in his face when a grenade went off nearby and it disoriented him. It put him in the line of fire to be seriously hurt or killed but Angela prevented it.

She had jumped into the path of whatever it was that was going to kill him. He watched as she sent the guy flying with a kick and then turn and shoot two others. It seemed inhuman but then again she wasn't exactly completely human. In the end they managed to lower the numbers but they still had a fight on their hands and it ended with more than bumps and bruises.

Adam shifted and winced. He looked at his arm and saw the bandage on his upper arm. There was a dark spot and he covered it with his free hand before shifting to lean against the wall. He thought about the price paid for that injury and sighed and closed his eyes. He pressed a fist to his forehead and silently asked if it was all worth this pain and misery. His mind was telling him that it was hell and there was nothing but pain and misery but the ordeal felt very real and he did have moments that he felt he was going to die.

 _That's how hell is. It wants you to break down and once that happens, you are open to what it does to you… and it's worse than death._

"Yeah you sure told me," Adam muttered to himself as he looked out of the cave entrance at the pouring rain. Right now he was more worried that the person who had been the rock throughout this whole thing was in worse shape than all of them put together.

"You should have let Mac take first shift. Then he'd be on third watch."

"I'm good," Adam replied, not looking at who it was that came to sit by him. He knew it was Tsura. "That last one…" He shook his head.

"She's doing fine. Still unconscious but fine," Tsura offered as she put a hand on Adam's shoulder.

"That's good." Adam swallowed slightly as he looked out of the cave. A slight breath of relief came out as he rubbed his arm where his injury was. "So…"

"If you're asking about the physical stuff, that's on the mend," Tsura answered the question that was tripping off Adam's tongue. She gave a slight and gently slap to his shoulder, "Funny thing about dhampirs. They heal pretty quick."

"Then why hasn't she woken up by now?" Adam turned to look at Tsura. It was probably stupid to ask since he was talking to a figment of someone's imagination. Angela told him that she didn't remember Tsura from any job she had done and he didn't know her. The only option was that it was a creation from Lucifer but even then she didn't react like his other imaginary friends. She could be a really good one but then there was Mac…

Tsura shrugged at that. "That I can't tell you. I mean you saw the same as us what happened."

Adam knew too well. After a nasty injury and the last of the bad guys taken care of, they were clearing things up. Angela was walking towards them when all of a sudden she doubled over and then straightened like a ramrod crying out in pain. She then collapsed on the ground unconscious. Her body spasmed a bit like she was in the middle of a seizure, twitching. They had to leave so Mac picked up Angela and they hightailed it out of there despite the fact that they had bleeding injuries with Mac being the worst off with some sort of injury like a knife wound in his side.

Looking at Tsura he nodded, "I know. Just… it's got to be the devil's doing."

"Our thoughts too." Tsura nodded in agreement. "That means that if that is the case… she has to do this by herself."

Adam shifted to look at Tsura and then at the campfire. He didn't want to admit that but Tsura was right. There was nothing he could do just sitting here except to provide protection. Whatever was going on was going on in her head. That was what had him worried and a bit scared that he was going to be alone with this for the long run.

"She won't leave you alone you know."

Adam looked at Tsura. He found her staring at him much like the way Angela would when she was being serious or doing that inspection of the soul thing. It had him suspicious of a few things but he kept it to himself. The only thing that stuck was the fact that Tsura said that. That she would never leave him alone. He thought that applied to Sam since that was the person she wanted to get to and out of hell but… The more he thought about it, the more he realized that while that was a goal, she wasn't the type to leave someone behind.

Looking at Tsura and then at the campfire where Mac was keeping an eye out, Adam took a deep breath. Maybe he should have let Mac take first watch but he felt the need to do this and it was true that he was still high strung about what happened. He knew he couldn't relax but he needed to do something to take off the edge and he could do this for her. He looked at the campfire and the figure that was prone and looked way too much like a dead body for comfort. Silently he wished her luck in whatever she was doing. _Make it back Angie. We need you. Sam needs you._

* * *

 **A/N:** And here we go with more time in hell and the game is being stepped up only this time it looks like Angie might not be able to help them out. Stay tuned for next time for Over the Edge...


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Memory can be a fragile thing. Sometimes things get lost. It's nothing wrong with the person since the brain processes hundreds of thousands of signals and sensory outputs at a time. It takes time to make sense of everything. Memory could be a weakness in that it can be used against you but it also can be incredibly potent. Memory can ground and stabilize you. In hostage rescue situations, it can be used to identify friend and foe. But when memory is used to make you question everything you know, you know that you are in a game that is more deadly than cat and mouse. Especially if you're playing with yourself.

Angela shot her eyes open and took a gasping breath as the air rushed into her lungs. It felt like it did when she woke up after Joshua sent her back when she had been killed by Walt and his buddy Roy with a shotgun blast to the back. Of course that was much like the other times she came back after dying. The sudden rush of air into the lungs was like coughing out a breathing tube. At least she didn't have the side effects of that like a sore throat. She looked around and found that she was in some room. Sitting up, she looked around and realized that it was her old room at the Alchemist compound.

Sliding off the bed, it was evident that there was no trace of Mac, Tsura or Adam. It had her senses go on high alert that this was something she got herself into after that last engagement. It was like the Altay campaign all over again but they had guns. She didn't remember getting injected with anything that would cause her to pass out. She did remember her injuries from that fight and then…

"Ah you're awake."

Angela spun on her heel to see one of the last few people she expected to see. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise but she kept her calm and replied, "Technically I'm awake here but where my body is…" She gave a slight shrug before sobering. "What are you doing here, Morpheus? How are you here?"

Morpheus, the god of dreams, looked at Angela with a bemused smile. He had always liked that she was straight to the point and never wasted a moment on something like panicking. If she ever did do that, she did it when he wasn't around. She was always the one that was focused. He teased her slightly, "Well… you know how I can exist."

"No games please and to top it off I am not even sure you're you," Angela replied with a slight eye roll. She gestured at the god of dreams as she paced around, taking in the environment.

"I am me. If there is one thing that little bratty child of an angel can't do is kill or imitate me. No one but the god of dreams knows the power he wields."

Angels shifted to look at the god. A wry expression crossed her face as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Please don't tell me you're going into that whole explanation designed to impress your temple priests. I don't care for it."

"I know, which is why I said it," Morpheus replied as he held his hands behind his back. He stood there pointedly. "I had a feeling that things would be difficult to distinguish in this place. Well the place where your body is…"

"I get the point," Angela replied in a gentle but exasperated tone. She looked at the god of dreams and asked, "So why now?"

"Things take time," Morpheus offered with a shrug. He took in the look he was getting and was rather amused by it. He continued as if the look wasn't a bother, which is wasn't, "And because a certain Winchester wants to know if you are all right."

Angela blinked at that. "Which one?"

"The one you call big brother."

Angela blinked at that and was rather shocked. It then turned to concern since… "If he made a deal, not happening," she retorted making a slicing gesture with her hand. "No deals."

"And you really aren't in a position to say otherwise if that were the case, which it isn't." Morpheus returned the look with a hard one of his own. He could be pretty scary in front of lesser mortals when he was angry. Not that he scared her. She was not easily intimidated by him or any of the gods that she did stand up to.

Angela stood there looking back at the god, not backing down. She wasn't intimidated by him or any god. They didn't really make her afraid with their boasting of power. She was respectful though since they knew their own power and the realms they had control over. They could make your life a living hell if they chose to and it was perfectly within their province. She just wasn't sure about the presence of Morpheus since she considered the very real possibility that this was a trick by Lucifer to get her guard down.

"That bratty angel couldn't make a convincing replica of me."

Angela looked at the god. She knew now that it was Morpheus since the god of dreams had the ability to sort of read the mind and help create the dream realm for the individual… or the nightmares. She took in the smirk that he liked to give her when he was teasing her. She didn't smile but she nodded and acknowledged, "And you have me convinced. So… what gives for this visit?"

Morpheus looked at Angela with a look of curiosity as he replied, "Well… you."

"Me?" Angela raised her brow at that. "Why? And a better question is how is it that you are able to reach me here in hell? The lines are pretty…"

"Even the damned must sleep," Morpheus offered. He gave a slight shrug as he sobered. "I admit that I have been monitoring you since I noticed a change. I will say that congratulations are in order. Always knew that you and Sam would get together."

Angela made a slight face at that. "Yeah, you and almost everyone else." She gave a slight smile at that since the gods could do what they want in terms of finding out things. "But it still doesn't answer the question of why."

Morpheus knew she would be persistent with her line of questioning. It was who she was. Sighing he replied, "I sensed what happened and waited for you to appear. Do you recall what last happened?"

Angela sensed that there was something more to this and it caused concern with the god of dreams. If he was that concerned, then it was serious. She looked at him and replied, "We had just finished another fight from the past. My time in Altay with Mac. Not the best of times like a few others." She looked at the god and added, "I was going to check on Adam and then a… white hot pain… like when Gabriel… But it was through my whole body and in particular my spine. Then I wake up here." She frowned at the god of dreams and shifted slightly, "What…"

"It's feedback," Morpheus replied. He could don the mysterious cloak thing but he felt it was better to do the straightforward thing. It was out of respect for her and she appreciated it more than most beings knew.

"Feedback?" Angela frowned at that. She was familiar with the concept but she was failing to grasp how it applied to her. "There aren't any bonds that could do that. Cas is topside and Gabe is gone. Kess is doing… whatever he is doing. So…?" She raised her brow in query since it wasn't making any sense to her.

Morpheus knew the explanation was going to take longer than a straightforward answer and it was a complicated one. He just had to see how much she already knew. He peered at her and prayed that she wouldn't get into a huff over it. "What do you know about bonds? Any kind?" He crossed his arms over his chest and pursed his lips as he studied her.

Angela knew this was going somewhere so she decided to play along. She frowned slightly and gave what she knew, "The most common are the guardian-charge bond but there are cases of imprint bonds. Wilder pups do that with hunters and baby gods…" She cleared her throat at that since it caused her to remember Hibah. "Baby gods can do that if it occurs within the first few days after birth. Bonds in general are deeply ingrained and when broken due to death or removal can be pretty painful." She looked at Morpheus and added, "And it feels like white hot pain."

Morpheus watched as the emotions flitted across her face. He knew about Hibah since that girl was now off doing her own thing as a god. He preferred to keep her angel half a secret and since she was now a full god, she was more or less safe since she had been allowed to live past childhood. He knew that Angela had gone through a lot of pain and he really wasn't looking forward to explaining that what she was going through was a result of what he was asking her. He replied, "It's different for everyone but for the most part you understand it. So you know the benefits of say a guardian-charge bond right?"

Angela huffed a little at the question and replied, "The most obvious is that the guardian is able to sense when the charge is in danger. Works really well if the guardian is an angel since they can zip here and there. Certainly worked with Cas." She shifted and looked away as she thought about Castiel and his charging to her rescue even when she had the situation in hand. "Gabe was just as good too. And I remember feeling Kess when he was hurt." She frowned at that since she didn't remember much of anything when she was shrunk.

"And there is the feedback concept," Morpheus pointed out. He waited until she was looking at him before continuing, "You were able to feel what your Avian guard was feeling when he was hurt."

"And according to Bobby, that was because I was too small. It was when a regression spell turned me into a four year old and the only thing I remember of nearly three months are the feeling of security, love and family. Not a whole lot. I do remember pain from Kess but that was fleeting."

"And that was because you had people who made sure that you didn't feel it anymore." Morpheus pointed at her necklace. "But what you experienced is called feedback."

"And you think this is what this is?" Angela gestured all around her.

"You did just say that the last thing you remembered was a piercing hot pain."

"Yeah and it was similar to when I first died." Angela looked at Morpheus, still not quite getting what he was hinting at. "I remember and still have a reminder." She absently reached behind her and touched where she knew the scar was.

"And that is my point." Morpheus stood there looking at her. "You have a connection with someone. Someone…"

All of a sudden, Morpheus was sent flying backwards with something that looked like electricity and he collided with the wall. The movement had Angela jump since she had never seen anyone that was ballsy enough to take on the god of dreams especially in his realm. She blinked at the stunned god who was looking like he didn't know what happened.

"Now, now, now, don't go spoiling all the fun, Morpheus."

Angela felt her eyes widen as she turned around to face… She narrowed her eyes and murmured, "Azazel." She then shook her head slightly. "But you are dead. I saw it."

Azazel grinned at her, "And how certain are you, my pretty? After all, you are the one that knows best how fragile the mind can be." He took a couple of steps forward. "You used to use the mind games and torture my underlings."

Angela stood there. Her fists balled up and then released. She knew that she couldn't attack in anger. Even if it was the dream realm, things were very real. You could kill someone in the dream realm and thus end up killing them in the waking world. The same concept was used by astral projectors in that they killed their enemies by killing their spirits. It only worked if the person was particularly strong in the ability. Most weren't and the dream ended up being a nightmare and the person sleeping woke up.

Azazel grinned as he took a step closer to her. "I see it. You're wondering how real this is. Am I real? Or is this Lucifer playing with you? Or maybe it's how you remember me? Funny thing how the mind goes."

"I know you're not real. Dean used the Colt to kill you," Angela replied as she crossed her arms over her chest. "There are only five things in the world that gun can't kill and you're not one of them."

"You know your lore. Very good. And rightfully you should." Azazel paced towards a window in the room. "And you should know more. It's what you were made for."

"Aannndd that's what everyone says."

Azazel laughed at that, "Oh but it's true. And the thing is…" He turned to look at her. "Is that _you_ don't know it and it's right in front of you." He gestured at the god and added, "Of course you knew that Morpheus and for a long time."

Morpheus sat up and slowly got to his feet grimacing. He replied, "Yes, I knew. And so did many of the others like me. We know the mortals that travel the earth and we have the ability to seek out those that are different from the general pool." He glanced at Angela before looking at the demon. "And in the end what attracts us is the person's heart."

Azazel couldn't help but laugh at that, "Even if you risk changing things by spilling the beans? Like what you were going to tell her?"

"She needs to know."

Azazel shook his head, "Oh no. You are not going to take away the fun the boss is having." He looked at Angela grinning and pointed at her, "And it is all on you my pretty. Your worst nightmare is going to play out right here and even the god of dreams can't stop this."

* * *

Sam cracked open his eyes slightly and found that he was on the ground and it felt cold. He felt it go up his spine and it sent pain wracking shivers throughout his body. He lifted his head and slowly looked around. He had to blink when he realized that he was alone.

The place looked like what Lucifer and Michael had been torturing him in. It had the dungeon like quality and he could see his blood smeared on the walls from previous beatings and the like. He saw the cot that he had laid down on when he managed to get onto when he had a particularly rough session with Lucifer. It was all there but it was empty and that was more terrifying than the beatings.

Slowly he got to his feet and wrapped his arms around his body to rub the sore spots on his body. He pressed on the particularly sore spot on his neck and he winced. At that moment a sharp pain shot through his body and he shut his eyes. He saw flashes of what looked like…

 _You won't win this Sammy._

 _She was walking until she doubled over in pain, clutching her neck. She screamed in pain. The scene then shifted to her being tortured by Alistair._

 _No!_

Sam winced as he felt what looked like a blade insert into his side. He remembered that when he detoxed but that was nothing compared to this. It felt like the real thing and he had that happen. He looked at his arms and the slashes made by the ghouls slowly appeared and the blood started to leak through. It was sickening and grotesque and he stuttered, "No."

The blood kept leaking through and there seemed to be no end. It sent Sam into a panic as he looked for something to staunch the bleeding. He tore the cot bedding and took the material and tightened it around his forearms. It stung but it didn't do much good. The blood kept coming through and he knew that he was in danger of dying if it didn't stop. He tried to control his breathing as the blood kept flowing and raised his arms up to slow it.

He started growing faint as his arms lowered. He almost fell forward when he was caught and he landed on something that gave an 'omph' followed by, "You always were the lighter of you and your brother as deadweight."

Hearing that voice had Sam open his eyes. He found that his head was resting on his companion's chest and one he was pretty familiar with. He turned to find himself looking down at… "Angie?"

She smiled up at him and replied, "I'm her but not completely her."

Sam frowned a bit as he vaguely remembered the conversation that he had during his recuperation from a torture session. He looked down at her and ventured, "You're the part of her that is mine."

"You remembered. Now can you let me up?"

Sam realized he was still on top of her and got to his feet. He held out his hand to help her up. The moment their hands touched, another flash went through his mind. It was when he started making out with her when they had the twins to look after. He remembered how he kept sniffing her neck and… He shook his head and it shifted to seeing himself choking the life out of her. He could see his double's eyes cold and dead.

"Sam?"

The hand on his shoulder brought him back to the present and he shuddered. He looked to see her looking concerned. He was quick to reassure her, "I'm okay. I think." He looked at his forearms and found the slashes were gone. There was dried blood from previous injuries but nothing else was there. He looked at his companion and then at his arms.

"It's not my doing," she said.

Sam looked at her and then all around. He then raised a brow, "Lucifer?"

"Probably. He's the only one that really understands why you're here."

"Here?"

"You're still in hell Sam. Just… not there."

Sam studied the Angela in front of him. He still wasn't getting how it was possible that she was there and yet not there but he was willing to go with it even if he didn't understand what it meant that this was the part of her that was his. It sounded way too weird for him and yet… "So what, I'm dreaming?"

"Could be that," Angela, it was better to think that, replied with a shrug. She looked at him and asked, "What do you last remember?"

Sam stood there and thought about it. At that moment it came to him in flashes and he winced as he recalled both Michael and Lucifer going at him and hard. Michael nearly broke a couple of bones and Lucifer… he remembered the devil giving him a blow to the side and then… He looked at Angela and said, "Lucifer hit me on the neck. Hard. And there was white hot pain… Like when…"

"Like when you first died."

Sam looked at her, "Yeah. How…"

"Because the same happened to me."

Sam frowned a bit at that. He wasn't sure at what she was getting at. He accepted that she was the part of her that was his but he figured it was more of a figure of speech. Like it was a memory of her that he had kept locked away even though she sort of implied that it wasn't the case. Now he was saying that the same thing happened to her?

Angela looked at Sam with a sad smile and explained, "It's called a feedback, Sam."

That got his attention. He remembered Lucifer mentioning it. "Feedback?"

"You are familiar with the concept."

"Yeah in an electrical sense," Sam replied with a slight frown. He was not sure where this was going but there was the nagging feeling that it has something to do with her and that didn't sit right. He was loathe to do anything to hurt her.

"Same principle but on a different level," she replied with an approving nod.

"Okay. Then…"

"You know that Cas and Gabe were my guardian angels," she continued, interrupting him. "And you remember what happened when Gabe died."

How could he not? He had watched as Angela cried out in pain and the pulse that followed was like getting stuck in the shockwave of a bomb. There had been some talk on the radio after that since it seemed to interfere with a lot of other things at that time. He just never mentioned it to her since she was already feeling low about Gabriel dying. It became clear what she was implying and his eyes opened wide in shock, "Wait. I did this to you?"

Sam started to panic. It was the last thing he wanted to do to her. He swore never to hurt her again. Now it was looking like he had and he was half ready to go on a rampage against something, anything and half ready to look for the real Angela and make sure she was okay.

The Angela standing in front of him raised her arms to try and placate him, "Sam, it's not your fault. It's a bond thing."

"What?"

Satisfied that she had his attention, Angela took a breath and hoped he would understand her explanation. "It's a bond thing," she repeated, "You know like what Cas and me have. Kess?" She moved her head trying to see if he was catching on.

Sam furrowed his brow a little at that. It sounded crazy and he tried to make sense of it, "But that is a guardian thing. I mean I've only seen it when Kess or Cas have sensed something was wrong and you were in trouble."

"That's part of it."

"But how…" That was where it was lost on Sam. He knew he wasn't like an angel or an Avian. So he didn't get how that could be. Unless it was the very vague idea of his being named a champion that got him in that position but that didn't even sound right in his head. That was years ago and the question would have been why it hadn't kicked in earlier.

Angela looked at Sam and replied, "Like I told you. It was only recently." She became quiet and shifted to reveal the left side of her neck.

Sam watched her and then another spasm occurred and he shut his eyes as he remembered Lucifer doing all sorts of things to him but at the same time saying one thing. That he knew what they had done and he recalled the last time when he saw the real Angela holding her arm in pain and… He hissed from the sting in his neck and then opened his eyes to look at her. "That?"

Angela stood there looking at Sam. It would be a lot to take but she had confidence he would get it. She nodded, "That would be it."

* * *

 **A/N:** Looks like Sam and Angie are getting a lesson as to what exactly their relationship means. Stay tuned for next time on Over the Edge...


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"What is wrong with him?"

Lucifer reached out to prevent Michael from delivering a kick to Sam's prone and unconscious body. He could understand Michael's frustration but then again he didn't quite understand a few things as far as a mutual acquaintance of theirs. He smiled, "Nothing's wrong. Just something unexpected."

Michael looked down at the body on the ground. He nudged Sam's limp arm with a hint of disdain. There was no reaction and it frustrated him especially since Sam gave out way too soon. Other times he lasted much longer before he passed out. He looked at Lucifer and demanded, "Then what is this?"

Lucifer kneeled to look at the unconscious Winchester. He wasn't concerned that Sam was going to try something. It wasn't like he could do anything anyway. He patted Sam's cheek and chuckled as he replied, "Well it seems like Sam is in La-La Land. Trying to get in touch with her are you?"

It wasn't too far a stretch to think that. After all Lucifer had tried to tempt Sam in his dreams only to be thwarted by her, his lovely. It wouldn't be hard for Sam to figure out how to use his dreams to find her. She would have taught him at some point since her reaction was that of a seasoned expert. That meant that she had training and there was only one being he knew of that would be able to instruct her to that level.

"What is going on?"

Lucifer sighed and looked at his older brother. He was always impatient when it came to learning about the intricacies of what their father had created in this world. That was where they different. Michael believed in taking action. Lucifer was more deliberate. And the two always clashed. It was no wonder things ended up the way they did with the whole Apocalypse thing that was now a train wreck.

Knowing that Michael would work himself up into a temper if he let him, Lucifer explained but he couldn't help the patronizing tone, "You know that I was making her feel what Sam was feeling by doing this." He pressed on the mark on Sam's neck. "Seems that with both of us going at him and me being particularly hard… it wore him out and he shut down."

"So he's dead."

"No, not dead." Lucifer poked at Sam and pointed out the signs of life. "More like a trance or… a coma. And with the feedback, it would have affected her."

Michael listened and came to the conclusion, "Meaning that she is in the same state as Sam."

"Exactly." Lucifer grinned and couldn't help but say, "See what happens when you don't always resort to violence? Sometimes brains work better than brawn."

Michael scowled at Lucifer. He never liked it when Lucifer griped at his methods. He was the good son and did what he was told. Now that hardly seemed relevant and it frustrated him that his father wasn't stepping in to fix things so they would play out as they should. "And look what happened when you decided to disobey. You were cast out."

"And you were supposed to defend me. You're my brother."

"I am a good son."

Lucifer stared hard at Michael. It would be no use to fight now. As much as he would like to really let Michael have it, he wasn't going to get into a fight especially since he could beat it out of Sam. The Winchester that was supposed to be his vessel had proven to be a pain in the ass and he knew it was because of her. He couldn't get how she would choose Sam over anyone else. Actually he had an idea but this was just…

Changing the tune, Lucifer went back to explaining what happened, "So what we did should have been enough to kill Sam and in effect kill her. Or at least put her in such pain that she becomes an enraged beast and… you get the picture. But it seems that didn't happen here."

"That is obvious," Michael replied through gritted teeth. He was still pissed at the argument they had been in. Lucifer always knew how to goad him. And what was salt in the wound was that she knew how to do it too and she did that at Stull Cemetery. She couldn't leave well enough alone and now they were in a mess and the whole rule book was tossed out the window. "What exactly is this?"

"Seems like what the human mind does when it suffers a traumatic event. It shuts down or creates a wall of sorts to protect itself."

"Are you saying _he_ did this?" Michael looked at his brother with an incredulous look. There was no way that Sam Winchester could have done this. "Her I would get since she has proven more than once that she is resourceful. But _him_? He pointed at the unconscious body.

Lucifer could understand his brother's reaction. In truth, the whole thing vexed him. Angela would have been able to feel it but she really wouldn't have been able to do anything about it. She wouldn't have made the connection. Unless it was pure instinct. That was more likely but it was equally unlikely. However, Sam Winchester had proven to be surprising in most respects. He did manage to get back control and oust him once they were in the cage. He acquiesced, "It's possible."

"Not possible."

Lucifer looked up at him, "Oh it is. The Winchesters have always proven… well you know. You're here. But I do admit it is surprising." He peered at the body. "I wonder…" He gave a hard kick and watch the body convulse slightly. "Interesting."

"What is?"

Lucifer grinned as an idea came to mind. He looked at Michael, "I believe we have an opportunity here."

Michael looked at his brother and recognized the look that he had something that was the equivalent of sinister. He knew that Lucifer had something that would probably be distasteful but he really couldn't resist taking his frustration out on a human who thought he could upheave everything. But he also didn't like that it implied that Lucifer might do things that were definitely immoral to the body and that seemed ten times worse than what he did when the body was conscious. He resisted swallowing and asked, "What opportunity?"

"Brother, they had sex. They are connected. Haven't you been paying attention?"

Michael looked at Sam with a look of disdain. He really hated hearing that. As far as he was concerned Sam had tainted her. She had been pure and now she was pure no longer. He had tainted what she was to be to the world… not that it matted since she was here in hell now. He gritted his teeth and replied, "I understand. You want to use this to punish them both in their minds."

"Exactly." Lucifer grinned in glee. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation of what was to come. "I am guessing that they are somewhere in the realm of dreams. That means…"

"You aim to torture them through that."

"Dreams are potent, Brother. And the nightmares can be pretty lifelike." Lucifer grinned up at Michael. This was going to be good.

"But if they die in the dream realm and they are that connected… you can kill them you know." Michael pointed out. He kind of liked the idea since being in the dream realm made them both trapped and susceptible to their whims.

"True but it would be fun. Plus, she has to remember." Lucifer gave Michael a pointed look.

Michael's eyes widened slightly. "You can't do that. There is a reason for the way things are."

"And don't you want her to be what she is?"

Michael was silent for a moment. It was true that he wanted her to be what his father intended her to be. She was so much more than what she perceived. She only had a glimpse of the bigger picture. He wanted her to see exactly what she was a part of. But he knew there was a reason for the way things were. "I do… but not this way. You could hurt her."

"She earned it."

"You know that it's not her fault."

"You and I see things differently. She refused me and then dares to tease me with an offer of being my vessel?" Lucifer narrowed his eyes at his brother. He looked down at Sam and shook his head slightly. "No. She will be punished and she will remember one way or another. And if she does manage to get out along with Sam here, they will have trouble discerning reality. Not that it makes that much difference already."

"You intend to use everything I their minds."

"Everything." Lucifer grinned as he said that and he meant it. He knew that he was pushing limits on this one but he was going to get what he wanted. He had time and he knew that Michael wanted to do this too. The bonus was corrupting his brother a little bit. "That is the fun with nightmares."

Michael looked down at the unconscious body. Until now he had done nothing but physical torture. Lucifer used emotional and mental coupled with a bit of physical that was… it was disturbing and he had seen the end results. Now Lucifer was pulling out the stops and it looked like he was past the point of caring of the results that could happen especially with her. He didn't forget the last time the veil had been torn and then with Gabriel… Slowly he said, "You do realize that if you go too far… you could end up with more than you bargained for."

"Oh I do." Lucifer studied Michael. He saw the angel had some qualms about it and made haste to reassure him a little. "Look. It's the realm of dreams and if you want to know a secret, she knows how to navigate. If anything, she will fight. Don't forget, she _chose_ this. She jumped in after us and willingly. By doing that, she accepted the very real possibility that she was going to be targeted."

"Don't remind me," Michael replied in a petulant tone. He looked away and added, "I still don't' understand the why."

"The why is obvious," Lucifer replied as he gestured towards Sam. "She would do anything for her precious humans especially the ones she assumed protection over."

"And what about Adam. He seems convinced that she was there for him too."

"Oh he had some doubt and it still is there," Lucifer replied in an offhand manner. "But knowing her, she has his loyalty. You know that always amazes me how that is possible with her." He paused to think about it before shaking his head to change the subject. "I can keep those awake busy with a few things. After all she managed to create countermoves against what I have done so far."

That was appealing to Michael. He was curious how she managed to create the companions that she had that she knew weren't real. Since this was Lucifer's area, he managed to dog her and toy with her and her hell hound but still she countered him and she even seemed to suspect her own actions. It was strange since she was able to do things like that. Then again there was a reason to question sanity in this place. He nodded, "That is reasonable. It will keep Adam and the hell hound busy but won't it be reasonable to grab them since they are vulnerable."

"And miss this opportunity?" Lucifer looked at Michael like he was crazy. "You always miss the bigger picture, Michael. Imagine, all the fun here in wherever they are." He gestured absently at Sam's prone body. "And more than likely it will be a quest in there since they more than likely will be separated. Makes it all the more fun." He looked at Michael and saw the look of uncertainty. He added, "Come on. We'll take turns with each one and time lengths vary."

Michael had to admit that it was a good proposition. He still was uncertain since this had the potential to make one or both into drooling vegetables. And archangel riding a vessel could do that since their power was considerably greater than that of a normal angel. He didn't even want to go into what a demon could do. Looking at Lucifer, he knew that his brother was going to do this regardless what he said. Even though he was pissed, he really couldn't do that…

"Come on, Michael," Lucifer wheedled. He knew that Michael's big brother, protector instincts were going to drive. "You know that you'll be able to get inside her head. It's the great mystery everyone wants to know about."

Making his decision, Michael nodded, "Alright. Do what you want with her. But no killing." He pointed a warning finger.

Lucifer grinned at that. "Oh I promise. The nightmares will be real. And it's going to be so much fun."

* * *

Adam opened his eyes and found the sun shining through the entrance to the cave. It wasn't raining anymore and he started to panic since it was a perfect time to launch an attack. He shifted and ended up rolling into a huge furry lump. The lump raised its head and looked at him with a look that said that he was the idiot for waking him.

Adam calmed down a little when he realized that the lump was Cerebus. He reached out and rubbed the dog's head. "And the thing that scared me is a huge pansy of a dog."

Cerebus let out a low moan that was pathetic. Adam chuckled at the dog. He was grateful that the hell hound was on their side. At first he had been skeptical since he knew that the hell hound was a pet of hell and they usually listened to the demons. Of course Cerebus wasn't an ordinary hell hound. He was _the_ hell hound that was Hades' pet and guarded the gates of Tartarus. He was still sketchy on how Angela managed to get the mutt loyal to her and on top of that start a new line of what she called Wilder dogs… it was crazy.

Adam was soothed by petting the hell hound and took the opportunity to look around. He saw Tsura was asleep and cuddled next to Angela. Adam shifted to look at the woman who had been unconscious for nearly a day. She looked like she was sleeping but she was too still for his liking since he was used to seeing that woman constantly on the move. She was always fighting or doing what she could to help people. He didn't want her to die. What he wanted was to know what was happening her so they could get her out of whatever trouble she was in.

Looking at Angela, Adam watched her chest move slightly. It was the only indication that she was alive and for now that was a relief but he had to admit that he was nervous about this. He was anxious for her to wake up and make everything okay. He knew that he was a sitting duck even if he had Cerebus there as back up. He knew that he was not combat ready for this; he was a med student before all this. He didn't know much about the world that Angela was from. Sure he learned a few things but he was way out of his element and he wasn't sure if he could pull it off with two people that foe, at the moment might be well placed tools of Lucifer's even though they were helping them.

Adam looked at Angela and said, "Angie, if you're in there…" He swallowed slightly before continuing, "If you're in there… please find your way back." He looked around and saw that Mac was still guarding the entrance and then back at her. "I… can't do this by myself."

There was no response and Adam didn't expect one. He had no idea where she was at that moment but it made him feel better about the whole thing. He leaned in close and whispered in her ear, "Whatever it is… fight it. I believe in you."

Sighing, Adam slowly got to his feet and stretched. They did need to make a plan since anything went now and they had to figure out if there was anything Lucifer was going to try. So far it was nothing but memories but as Adam had seen the past few days, or was it month, they still had power especially if they were tied to unfinished business or festering emotions. He saw that with Angela's memories, the last being that she had been manipulated into killing an entire clan of werewolves that were peaceful living.

Giving Cerebus a pat, he signaled the hell hound to stay and walked over towards the entrance and joined Mac. He gave a gentle sort of punch to the man's shoulder and teased, "You still awake?"

Mac chuckled and looked at Adam as he adjusted the M4 that he had been carrying since he first arrived on the scene. "Hey, I'm not real here so I don't need to sleep."

Adam swallowed slightly at that and shifted uneasily on his feet. There was no mincing the fact that it was blatantly stated that Mac and Tsura weren't real. Mac though took it in good humor and was still willing to help them out. "Look uh…"

"Hey, I know I'm not real but I'm sure as hell not working for the blighter that makes my friend cry." Mac gave a pointed look at Adam. He moved to stand up and stretch a little. He may not be real but he felt real human feelings like cramps. "And I don't take it well that someone made her cry and from what I know, I know that the bloke Sam doesn't like it either."

"How do you… even know that and I know she didn't tell you," Adam asked since he still wasn't sure about all of this.

Mac shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know. Now I know that this place is like the whole dream realm…" He turned and saw the question on Adam's tongue and replied, "Don't ask. Anyway if it operates like that, that means a person skilled enough could create things like me."

"But according to Angie, Lucifer can see inside heads and he had seen inside of Sam's so…" Adam shrugged his shoulders. "I'm a little in the dark."

"Which," Mac replied as he started to field strip and reassemble his weapon to make sure that it was in good working order, "Is a good thing for you. While the other feathered dick possessed you, I doubt that he actually paid attention to you and what's in your head. So there is an advantage. Lucifer is another matter."

"Yeah and so far he has screwed with Angie."

"Which should tell you that this is personal," Mac countered as he finished. He put the clip in and locked and loaded. The click of the round sliding into the chamber was a sweet sound to his ears. "And ever since I first met her, everything was personal with the blokes that we came across. Lucky for me I had a good unit that didn't question much."

"Wait so you are military?"

"22nd SAS, Bravo," Mac replied with some pride. He chuckled as he adjusted his weapon and added, "And before you ask, yes, I am a hunter. Me whole family has some dealings or other in the world that Angie lives in."

"So you were raised in this?" Adam knew that this Mac wasn't real but it was better than nothing and if he was a compilation of Angela's own doing, then he might as well get to know her through them.

"Yep. And I still manage to get to mass on Sundays at least," Mac grinned like it was a huge joke. To him it was a normal thing. He grew up with a witch for a best friend and then when he joined the military he saw more of the world that was normal to him. It just made him busier making sure that it was a safe place and that was a bit of an ordeal of sorts. "I guess you could say I had a pretty normal life growing up though my best mate growing up was a witch."

"A witch was your best friend?"

"Aye and Angie is half vampire."

Adam was starting to like Mac even if he wasn't real. He could start to see why Angela trusted him and was friends with him. He chuckled with Mac a little and acquiesced, "You made your point. I guess…"

"Hey I don't blame ya. I would question everything if I were real and you two were not," Mac offered with a slight shoulder shrug. "Anyway, what I was getting at was that I thin me and the lass over there are Angie's doing. She doesn't show it much but she is pretty powerful."

"Well she did forcibly remove an angel… from me." Adam shrugged his shoulders as he leaned against the cave wall opposite of Mac. "I guess that means something."

Mac chuckled. He liked Adam but he hadn't seen anything as far as Angela went. He sighed and turned to look at Angela and asked, "Still not awake?"

Adam turned to look in the direction Mac was looking in. His gaze lighted on Angela. She hadn't moved since they had put her there. Even though he said a few encouraging words into her ear, he wasn't sure she even heard him. Yeah he knew that sometimes talking to someone when they were in a coma like state heled them to wake up but he knew this wasn't like those cases. This was something totally different. Sighing he replied, "No. I wish I knew what to do."

Mac looked at Angela and then at Adam as he replied, "Well there is not much that we can do." When Adam shifted to look at him, he continued, "I mean whatever is going on in her head, she has to take care of. The best we can do is to make sure she had a body to come back to."

"So you're saying that she is not in her body?"

"More like a trance," Tsura said as she joined them. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she stretched. When she had their attention she repeated, "It's a trance."

"Meaning that we must be extra diligent," Mac replied in a serious tone. When he got the nod, his expression became firm. "Bloody hell." He moved to take a quick look outside to make sure that nothing was coming.

"What does that mean?" Adam looked at Tsura and then at Mac. He knew something was up but the talk about trances was not making much sense except that it sounded bad. "Mac," he added to get the older man's attention. "What does that mean?"

Tsura explained, "It means that Angie is more vulnerable than we thought."

"Well that sounds bad," Adam replied as he looked at Tsura. He watched as Mac moved to make sure the perimeter was secure and that all his weapons were locked and loaded, including the explosives that Angela had teased him about earlier.

"It is," Mac said as he finished what he was doing. He checked to make sure his pistol and his rifle were ready. "When a person assumes a trance like astral projection, the physical body is vulnerable meaning that they are defenseless. Most experts don't touch this unless they know they are secure like a protective circle."

"So we're here and we can protect Angie."

"I know. I'll make sure the entrance is secure." Mac pulled out what looked like a can of paint. He shook it to get it going. "We're covered here. The real test is well… Angie's facing it and alone."

Adam looked at Angela and then his companions. It then occurred to him, "She could die in her head."

It was a somber outlook and Adam grasped the situation. He knew it was bad when she fell unconscious. Now it was going to be a tough ride because they were essentially fighting a war on two fronts and one of their team was on one of those fronts alone. He looked at Mac since the man knew a thing or two and he didn't have time to be squeamish. He asked, "What do we need to do?"

* * *

 **A/N:** Seems like Sam is in the same boat as Angie and Lucifer has some ideas and Adam is on board to protect Angie. Stay tuned for more Over the the Edge...


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"So you're saying that me and you are… bonded?" Sam looked at Angela with a raised brow, trying to make sense of what she had just told him.

"Yes."

"And all because we had sex?"

"It's what you did during sex."

Sam looked Angela and noted how she kept using the plural you rather than we. It sort of helped to make the distinction that she was not the real Angela. Just trying to make sense of it was trying on the mind. "You mean we."

"If it makes you feel better then yes, we. Just remember I am Angie but the part that belongs to you so I am her but not her." Angela gave an apologetic smile at that.

Sam gave a slight eye roll at that and muttered about it being like her playing with semantics. Sighing he ran a hand through his locks, noting that he was not in too much pain. That was new. "Okay so what we did during sex…" He made a gesture trying to figure out what it was.

Angela sighed and turned to expose the left side of her neck. She tapped the area where he had kissed her so many times. "Remember now?"

Sam watched and it then came back in a flash. He hated that it did that since it hurt his head when that happened. Even if it was a good memory, it still hurt. Yet it wasn't painful enough for him not to focus on what was being hinted at. He remembered feeling her teeth puncture the skin and then he reared up and… "You're talking about when I bit you?"

"Points for Sammy," she replied with a smile before adding, "And when I bit you."

Sam had to frown at that, "You mean a bond was formed when we bit each other?"

"It just wasn't a simple bite, Sam." Angela looked for a seat and sat on the edge of the cot in the room. She rested her forearms on her knees as she looked up at him. "It was… a turning point and I don't think the real me understands it or knows at all."

"I don't think I understand it," Sam pointed out a bit heated. He looked at Angela and took a breath to calm down. "Look, I don't want to fight but can you please just give it straight. It will make things go… a lot smoother. At least how I'm trying to process this." He tried to keep his voice tempered since he didn't want to hurt her feelings.

"You don't have to be nice when you're frustrated, Sam," Angela replied with a gentle smile. "I just wasn't sure how to explain it since I doubt the real me could understand. After all I don't know about me and I think you weren't supposed to know about me yet."

"What do you mean yet?"

Angela looked at Sam and made a call. She knew that it was going to cause awkwardness later but she knew that Sam was discrete about things and he would more than likely keep it to himself until it became an issue. Still it was a moot point now. They would understand eventually. "What you are… it's a wonderful thing, Sam. Don't ever doubt us."

"I don't," Sam affirmed firmly as he tried to make sense of everything. "Always and forever, Angie." He kneeled to be eye to eye with her and pressed his forehead against hers. "Always and forever."

Angela smiled and reached up to rub his hair through her fingers. She took a breath and replied, "What I meant about knowing about me, this me… I am the me that belongs to you, that part of your soul. Whatever you remember if and when we get out, remember that."

Sam pulled back to look at her in the eye. He saw the seriousness and sincerity in her eyes. "I don't understand."

"Just remember I am the part of your soul that belongs to you."

Sam knew he wasn't going to get anything more from that. He was just going to have to do what she asked and remember what she said. He didn't see any reason or means of them getting out of hell. He was prepared for the long run but… he would humor her. "Okay," he replied.

Angela smiled at him as she looked at him and the sincerity in his eyes. She could continue with the explanation that she owed him. She just hoped his other half would be able to help her. She nodded and took a breath and continued, "Sam, when you and the real me had sex, yes that created a bond as intimate things do but what I'm talking about was the bite."

"Okay." Sam watched her and saw that she was trying to figure out the best way to say what she wanted. "What about me biting you and you biting me?"

"Do you remember sharing blood in that bite?"

Sam thought about it. "No," he replied with a slight frown. "I remember… tasting your blood. I knew it was yours because…" He went quiet since he remembered and still felt guilty for what he had done to her.

Angela smiled at Sam and said, "And what did other me tell you about that?"

Sam looked at her. He nodded but it still didn't alleviate the guilt. This was a punishment for that along with everything else. "I knew it was yours because of the taste." He then frowned as he thought about it and asked, "Why didn't I… why didn't my powers kick in?"

"There it is," Angela pointed out. She stood up to meet Sam's gaze since he had straightened up and started pacing a little. She waited until he was looking at her before continuing, "No intent there but there was a little more to it. You shed your own blood too."

Sam was puzzled, "But I…"

"In simple terms when you bit each other, you cut yourself in the process and blood mingled. That created the bond between you and what I think made you aware of me." Angela paused to see if Sam was understanding what she was saying.

"I don't…"

"You must have Sam cause otherwise, why would you have that?" She pushed aside his shirt gently to reveal a scar.

Sam peered at it. It was a scar but not like any other. It was actually a design of sorts. It was in the same place where Lucifer had been pressing down on and causing him pain. "What is that?"

Angela looked at Sam as he looked like he was panicking while looking at the source of all the pain that Lucifer had put him through. She explained calmly, "That… is your mate mark."

"My… what?" Sam shifted to look at Angela with a frown. "What?"

"Mate mark."

"Mate mark?" Sam wasn't sure he heard this right. He was hoping that there was some sort of logical explanation of what was going on. This was starting to sound a little too weird even for him and it wasn't any easier with this version of Angela.

"You know… marking territory." Angela gave a slight knowing shrug. "The other me, the real me, marked you as hers and if I am not mistaken… She has something similar meaning you marked her." A bemused expression crossed her face as she watched Sam's expression. "Makes for a whole new meaning for marking what's yours."

Sam shot Angela a look and saw the look on her face. That piece of news was a little hard to believe. Yeah, he could honestly admit that he had been possessive of Angela for a long time. He was willing to throw punches to keep her to himself. Before jumping this, he ended up claiming her so, it did make sense a little. But it was…

Angela sighed as she watched Sam process everything. She reached out to caress his locks, pausing when he hesitated slightly but then relaxed. "Sam, it's okay. I doubt the real me knew this."

"And you know?"

"Yes."

"Then…"

"I was locked away. The same as the other you."

"Other me?"

At that moment, Sam remembered his more persistent nightmare of late. It was the one where he saw himself killing Angela. Mostly it was suffocating her but the one that hit the hardest was when he broke her neck and she was a child. That… it had him hesitant but he moved forward anyway. Now it sounded like his nightmare was going to play out for real and he started moving around looking for an exit. "Then I gotta stop…"

"Sam, calm down."

"I can't, Angie." Sam turned to look at Angela. "You're in trouble. I didn't want…"

"Sam," Angela interrupted firmly. She grasped his hand to get him to stand still. She looked him in the eye and continued, "It's not like that. The other you I am talking about is like me. That's the you that belongs to the real me." She looked away since she saw that he wasn't buying it at the moment. She then turned to look back at him and said the one thing that was always on Sam's mind whether it was a conscious or subconscious thought, "That other you is the one that protects the real me no matter what."

Sam calmed down a little once he saw that look in her eye. It was like the one she gave him when she reassured him that she forgave him no matter what when he took her blood without consent. He took a breath and closed his eyes. It was a relief but it still was enough to send blood pressure skyrocketing. He opened his eyes and looked at her and nodded, "Thanks… Angie."

"It's a lot to take I know. The only reason I know and the other you knows is because it has happened before. We remember even when the real ones don't." Angela gave an apologetic smile and a slight shrug of her shoulders. "Just know that it is what connects us and why Lucifer is exploiting it."

"But I thought… he was pissed at us… you know."

"Only because he knows deep down what exists and you know better than anyone people get angry over what they can't have or what never will be theirs." Angela looked at Sam as he processed the information he was getting. "Right now, this… this is what happened when Lucifer got heavy handed. You are familiar with this right?"

Sam looked around. It looked like what he had been seeing ever since he had been trapped in hell. But it was different. She was here but of course it really wasn't her, or to quote her, she is the part of her that belongs to him. Then something sharp went down his spine and he winced as the memory came through.

 _There are tricks to telling the difference between wakefulness to dreaming. The biggest hint is how it feels, like that sixth sense or as Dean would say, your gut instinct…_

Sam opened his eyes and looked around. He focused on the area and knew that it wasn't real per se but… He focused on the door of his cell. He blinked when it swung open like it was nothing. He nodded knowing now for sure that it was the dream world. He walked towards the cell door and went through it, testing to make sure. When he was certain that nothing was going to happen, yet, he headed towards the main door.

"Where are you going?"

Sam turned to see Angela still standing in the cell. She was looking at him with that piercing look she gave when searching for bullshit. He looked at nothing in particular before looking at her and replied, "Going to find… you."

"Do you even know how?"

Sam paused at that. He really didn't have a clue as to what he was doing but he was still going. "No… but I'm still looking." He turned to head out. He opened the door and peered out.

"Then I'll go with you. Well… not much chance of you ditching me," Angela replied with a chuckled.

Sam turned to look at her. He really didn't have a clue what he was doing and if he was going to find her… might as well use what was in front of him. Granted he still wasn't sure about all of this and he could entertain that this was a ploy of Lucifer's to torment him and to get to her. He had to make a move and he was willing to give a little. He gave a nod, "Alright. Let's go."

* * *

Angela felt her chest constrict as she looked at Azazel. She looked at Morpheus, not sure of what she was hearing. She looked at the god of dreams since he was the one she could trust and asked, "What is the demon talking about?"

Morpheus glanced at Azazel and then looked at Angela. He knew that she needed to know things but the risk came in the revelation. Too much, too soon could be just as dangerous as too little, too late. He knew he had to be careful but this was a dangerous thing. He replied, "You are not just a dhampir, Angela. You are… unique."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"Yes," Azazel said, "Tell her exactly what that means." He then assumed a mocking stance and added, "Oh but the decision comes out what to tell and how to tell it. After all it is a lot to take in and we don't want a mess."

Angela looked at Azazel when he spoke. She then looked at Morpheus who was glaring at the hallucination of the demon that had tormented her and, in a sense, started all of this. She then realized that it was a ploy to get her upset. No doubt Lucifer would want that. She turned towards the god who was being mocked by Lucifer's illusion of a demon and started to say, "You…"

"It's your soul," Morpheus said as he continued to stare at the demon. "It involves your soul, Angela," he repeated in a gentle tone. "It is why you are here."

Angela looked at the god of dreams and then at the demon. She turned and looked at the god and asked, "My soul?"

"Oh come on Morpheus," Azazel taunted, "You gotta do better than that. Tell the whole truth."

"Shut up," Angela countered as she raised her hand. It was an automatic reaction and she sent the demon flying backwards. She stared hard at the demon as he looked shocked that she had been able to do that. She barked, "Leave."

Azazel got to his feet. He looked shocked but his expression turned into a sneer, "Nice trick."

"Leave," Angela repeated but in a much firmer voice. It wasn't loud but it was powerful enough and it sort of created a sort of echo in the area. She narrowed her eyes to make her point and to warn the demon that she would do worse if he didn't leave.

Azazel nodded as he straightened out. He couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. "So the queen has finally let it loose after all this time. And here I thought Cold Oak was the time. Seems I was wrong." He turned to go, "I'll leave you alone but don't think that you are free. Even Morpheus knows that the world of dreams is where anything goes. Like I said, all your nightmares will come true."

Angela didn't say anything as the demon disappeared. She knew it would only be a matter of time before Lucifer tried something else. And she wasn't going to forget that her memories could be used against her in this place. How many times had she gone through them herself? Sighing she turned towards the god of dreams who was looking at her with an almost sort of saddened expression. She said, "Morpheus…"

"I knew that you had improved over the last few years. I just didn't quite see it," Morpheus said as he stared at her. "And you don't even know half of what is going on."

"Why don't you tell me?" Angela took an inquisitive step forward. She knew a few ways and means of getting the god to talk. He had taught her as well as every god and goddess she had encountered. She learned the modes of communication and she never fully utilized it unless she wanted the whole story to be spilled to her. She saw that Morpheus was hesitant and she pressed, "Morpheus… tell me what you meant about my soul."

Morpheus looked at her with a saddened expression. He could tell her but that would only send doubts and things that he didn't want to happen. Everything was in a fragile state as it now stood. Slowly he replied, "I can't tell you the details but know that it is why you are unique and why you are in a trance state and here in my realm." He paused and took a breath before continuing, "And it all has to do with the fact that you are mated to Sam Winchester."

Angela was used to surprises being sprung on her so it was rare to get her into a state of shock, at least as far as the supernatural beings were concerned. With humans, they surprised her. Sam and Dean did on occasion. So for Morpheus to tell her something like that… "What do you mean mated?"

"You do know that by the gesture you gave him that was the invitation for something more serious," Morpheus countered. He gave a pointed look like a parent would to a child who should know that fire is hot and they shouldn't have touched it.

"Yeah and that was to mean more like what is called going steady," Angela countered with a wide-eyed expression. "That…"

"And did you also forget that it was the invitation to a more permanent thing?"

Angela was speechless as she absorbed the words. She filtered back to what she had learned about vampires in general when they took a mate. She went through it and frowned. She looked up and countered, "No. It was just sex. Nothing more."

"Are you sure?" Morpheus took a couple of steps forward. He didn't mean to be an ass but she needed to understand what was at stake at the moment. She had to understand what was happening to her and why Lucifer was doing this. "What do you remember about your first night together?"

Angela felt her cheeks flush since the god of dreams was basically asking her to talk about her sex life. As much as she could joke with sexual innuendo, she was still remarkably prudish when it came to her own affairs and Sam reacted in a similar manner though he seemed ready to punch out Dean when he went too far. It was a bit of a paradox for her but she understood the urgency. She had to get over it but… That was something special between her and Sam.

Taking a breath, Angela looked downward and recalled what happened the first night that they had sex. She managed to say, "It was sex. I mean I did bite him." She cleared her throat at that since it made her sound kinky. She only did it because Sam said it was okay and to let it happen.

"And?"

"He bit me." Angela shrugged at that. It was no big deal since she healed fast but Sam had insisted on checking since he broke the skin. It left a red mark that turned purple from bruising but other than that, nothing bad happened. She looked at the god of dreams with a frown, not sure of what he was getting at. "What is this about, Morpheus?"

Morpheus realized she had little to no clue what was going on. Maybe that would have been a blessing in another universe. Here it was a curse and it seemed that Lucifer was going to exploit it to the fullest if only to punish her. He explained, "You are a mated pair."

"You said that and I don't think that means anything."

Morpheus sighed as he approached her. He gave a wave of his hand and a mirror appeared. "Don't get all prudish with me," he warned as he pulled on her shirt to reveal her left shoulder. "Look closely."

Angela looked at Morpheus like he was being a pervert for being so forward but indulged. She peered at her shoulder in the mirror. At first she didn't see anything because it was so faint but when she looked closer, she recognized the familiar lines of scarring. It looked like the cicatrization marks she had seen mostly from African tribes. The design though was not like that. Rather it was a bit similar to her tattoo but there was a blend of Enochian and Egyptian as well and she recognized the mark that was unmistakably what would have been Sam's cartouche. "What…?"

"Courtesy of Sam Winchester, my dear," Morpheus answered as he watched the understanding start to develop. "He bit you and more than likely exchanged blood with you thus created that mark. He made you his and I have no doubt you did the same."

Angela blinked as she stared at the marking. There was no way. That meant. "No. I would never do that. Not to him."

"It appears that you did," Morpheus pointed out. He didn't want to be too forceful with her but desperate times and he was prepared to give her a hard shake like he would a naughty pup. "You made him your own and he did the same to you. So in simpler terms… you are for all intents and purposes married."

"No."

"Can't cheat it, love."

Angela glared at the god standing before her. There was no way that she had done that to Sam. That was like the equivalent of taking away his choice. She basically took and didn't ask. She vowed never to do that and especially to him. She started huffing a little until it started sounding like she was going to hyperventilate.

Morpheus saw what was happening and gripped her by the shoulders and laid it out, "It's done and you can't change it. And you seem to forget that he did it to you. That mark on your shoulder is his."

"He's not going to understand. Hell, I didn't know…"

"It's done," Morpheus repeated in a firm tone to indicate that she needed to stop and focus. "The point is that because of that, it's why you are in this state. It's the feedback effect."

Angela still wasn't convinced and panicked that she had done something that could make Sam hate her if they ever got out of this. She was aware though that Morpheus was trying to tell her something important and instead focused on that. She could deal with Sam's reaction when she saw him. She turned towards him and asked, "Feedback effect?"

"Why do you think that I asked you what you knew about bonds in general?" Morpheus was pleased she was focusing. This would make things much easier. "You and Sam are bonded now. What he feels, you do and vice versa."

Angela thought about it for a moment. She recalled when she felt the throbbing and the chills down her spine. It made sense now and it also made her realize that Lucifer was using all sorts of means to torment her and hurt Sam in the process. That made her pissed. She looked at Morpheus and replied, "And Lucifer is aware of this, meaning that he's hurting us both."

"Anyone other than the owner of the mark that touches the mark, it produces extreme pain and you can imagine how you'd react or better yet how Sam would if I did this." Morpheus pressed down on the mark and watched as she cried out in pain.

The effect though made the point. It hurt but Angela was aware that there was a rumbling that sounded like anger. She looked around and watched the effects that occurred in the dream realm. She recognized the reaction and merely said, "Sam."

"The last bout must have been painful enough to basically knock you out and one or both of you brought each other here. Like a protection thing."

Angela listened to the explanation. It made sense now since she was familiar with head trauma. But that also meant trouble here. She looked at Morpheus and said, "Then we better get a move on and get out of here before we both end up dead in the dream realm."

* * *

 **A/N:** Sam and Angie learn the beginnings of what they are and looks like it'll be n interesting journey. Stay tuned for next time on Over the Edge...


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"It will probably be best if we stayed here for as long as it takes," Mac said as he came back from checking the perimeter around the cave. He rubbed his hands on his hips. "I managed to put up a few wards. Better than nothing."

"Maybe I should put a couple of spells…" Tsura offered tentatively.

"You a witch or something?" Mac peered at Tsura like she was an interesting science experience or something.

"I'm Romani actually."

Mac made a noise that could have been interpreted as anything. He backed away like it was nothing and replied, "Well knock yourself out, lass. Just don't mess with the sigils. They're a real bitch to put the way you want them." He moved over to sit down and have a bite of the rations they had.

Tsura narrowed her eyes slightly and retorted, "I know how to leave sigils alone."

"Just letting you know."

Tsura huffed a bit before turning to exit the cave. Mac was chuckling at her reaction. He turned to see Adam looking at him like he was being an idiot for annoying Tsura. He said, "I'm just telling her where to step and where not to step."

Adam made a sound at that and rolled his eyes slightly, "And you probably racked up a few points on the pissed off meter meaning that you're a step closer to her actually doing something like turn you into a toad or something." He gestured at Mac to emphasize that he thought the man was being an idiot for doing what he was doing.

Mac chuckled at that as he stretched out to relax a little. "Fat chance of that, mate," he replied. At Adam's look, he explained, "I've been around witches and Romani before. My best mate was a witch. Well he preferred warlock but…" He shrugged his shoulders at that since it was inconsequential.

"You were friends with a witch?" Adam raised a brow at that. The man was talking like it was a normal thing. He was just barely getting over the fact that Angela was not a normal human and could do inhuman feats.

"Still am," Mac replied.

"But I thought you… hunted things," Adam posed a bit uncertain. He knew that Angela had trusted Mac even though he wasn't real. She was insistent that this wasn't one of Lucifer's cruel jokes so he was willing to give a little with that. He raised his brow at the man.

"Aye. I do but ya got to do things a little different when other things kick in otherwise you stick out like balls on a bulldog."

Adam blinked at that. He was used to crude language and had employed it himself on occasion. This, he wasn't even quite sure of but he figured it had to do with the fact that Mac was not American but Scottish and damn proud of it. He could only make, "Um…"

Mac had seen the reaction and couldn't help but laugh at Adam. "Relax, mate," he said after reaching over and giving a slap on the shoulder. "Pretty much like your Yank expression of sticking out like a sore thumb was what I was getting at."

"Oh."

Mac continued to laugh as he stood up to check on Tsura. He peered out the entrance and scanned the horizon as he continued, "I was raised where I thought it normal that you had a werewolf and a witch for a friend and not all your classmates were human. And I was raised a hunter."

"But you're a soldier."

"Aye. Joined up when I was able. Good thing too. You'd be surprised at how many things hide in the military." Mac gave a slight grin as his expression turned grim. He looked back out and sighed. "I was raised a hunter, joined the military and became spec ops. Angie always said I was saving the world one terrorist monster at a time or something like that."

Adam nodded at that as he stood up to stretch and check on Angela. He slunk past Cerebus who was laying there looking like he was lounging but he was protective and wouldn't hesitate to help if needed to. He paused to rub the dog's ears and moved over to make sure Angela was still breathing. She was so still that she looked like she was dead. Seeing that she was still breathing, he said, "Angie's still breathing."

"The lass better be. From my understanding, she's a terror when it comes to this sort of thing."

Adam frowned at the choice of words and couldn't help but voice his confusion, "What do you mean by that?"

Mac glanced at Adam and turned to see Tsura making her way back. He held his rifle ready just in case something happened and he needed to cover her. "Meaning that she's really good at what she does. Save my arse in Altay a long time ago and I heard the stories. They're the kind that keep you in awe and also terrorize you. But I do know that she's a fighter. Once she gets a job, she sees it through even if you have to improvise."

Adam swallowed slightly as he looked at Angela sleeping, or what he thought was sleeping. Mac had explained that it was a type of trance where her mind is wherever it was and more than likely the dream realm. He got that which was why they were keeping an eye out.

"I've got movement."

Adam turned his attention towards the entrance. At that moment Cerebus got to his feet and a low moan emanated from his chest. It quickly turned to a low growl as he trotted towards the entrance and took a stance that said he was the alpha and that this was his den. Adam moved to join the dog and look out. He queried, "What do you see?"

Mac raised his gun to peek through the scope. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the numbers and gave a small breath. He replied, "Seems like our friends are back." He handed the binoculars to Adam.

Adam took them and peered out. He saw the approaching men. He made a low hissing sound between his teeth. He really didn't need this now but it seemed that it was to be. After all they were in hell but still he would like a break every now and then. "I see them. How bad you think?"

"We're outnumbered."

It was blunt but Adam found that he preferred that over anything in this place. Angela was the same way when it came to laying down the odds of survival and she had been bluntly honest in that that she had originally went there to save his brother, Sam but now that she found him, she was staying until she had them all out. It was comforting and she had defended him like her life depended upon it.

Mac knew that he was being blunt but as a soldier you didn't waste time sugarcoating things. Did that and you put yourself in danger. It was always better to lay it out with straight facts. He adjusted his grip and grinned when one of the advancing troops ended up on the business end of one of his traps. He couldn't help but chuckle, "Well, we have some time but if I were you, I'd get your gun ready and the hell mutt ready to raise hell."

Adam nodded and went to grab the gun that had been procured and sort of made. He wasn't going to try and sort things out. According to Angela, this place was like the place where dreams are from; if you were good enough, you could make anything appear as you needed it. That was all well and good but it was not helpful when two of your team were not real in the first place. Now she was unconscious in a similar place or the real dream world and she had the potential to be killed there. It was enough to make your head hurt so he treated this as the real world but with a little something extra.

Mac continued to watch as Tsura came back in saying, "I got a team coming from the east."

"Oye. Definitely outnumbered."

Adam cocked his gun and held it ready, "No choice though. Unless we move Angie." He turned towards the pair and asked, "Good idea to move her?"

Mac looked at Angela's body. He was well aware of the possibility that by moving her, she was going to feel it. He was certain she was in the trance sleep and not full on sleep. "It might be risky since she may feel it and abruptly waking could be…" He made a slight face.

"We got no choice," Adam replied. "We gotta move her and do what you do. Um… dig in."

Mac raised his brow at Adam. He was impressed with the kid and he could understand why Angela liked him. Besides, the kid had a good idea and they really had little choice. He glanced at Tsura and nodded, "Aye. Not much choice. So…"

"You'll have to carry her," Adam interrupted. At the look he was getting, he explained, "Mac, you're the only one that can carry her. I'm too short. Me and Tsura can buy you some time and Cerebus can watch your back."

Mac peered at Adam with a look. While he didn't like it, he could tell that it was the best option available. This cave didn't go into a tunnel system. They were cornered and didn't have a means of barricade. They had to move and find a secure location and preferably where they could get enough time to allow for Angela to find her way back. He nodded, "Aye. Not the best but we have to do in this situation."

"What? But…" Tsura looked at Mac and Adam like they were crazy. "If we do that, we risk…"

"I'm aware of that lass," Mac replied, "But what choice do we have?"

Adam looked at the pair. He looked out the entrance. The traps that Mac had set would only last so long. "Look, we don't have much time." He turned to look back at them. "We have to move now. Tsura and me got this or I take the mutt with me and you two go."

There wasn't much left to do. Mac took the initiative and slung his weapon over his shoulder and moved towards Angela's prone body. He maneuvered his hands to pick her up. He whispered, "Sorry lass. The kid made me do it." He grinned as he lifted her. He turned towards Tsura since Adam and Cerebus left to cover them. "Come on lass, let's go."

Adam left and found that Cerebus accompanied him. He rolled his eyes. No doubt that Angela told the mutt that he was to stay beside him no matter what. He would work with that since he had seen the hell hound in action. He patted the hell hound's shoulder as he kneeled behind a boulder and took a peek. "Nice to see you tagging along," he muttered.

Cerebus gave a low moan as he looked in the direction of the approaching enemy. His hackles were high up and he had gotten huge. Adam looked at him and noted the size. This would be interesting and he had yet to see him in hell hound glory though Angela said that it was better if he didn't. That's why they were invisible. He patted the shoulder and looked at the cave and saw Mac ready to go. He turned towards the dog, "Okay, we need to buy Mac and Tsura time to get Angie out. You go left and I go right. Got it."

Cerebus gave a slight moan and moved into position. Adam watched as the body shimmered and disappeared. He couldn't help but voice his appreciation, "Nice. Go get em boy."

Adam watched the brush move, the only indicator that the hell hound was there. Those guys were going to get a surprise of their life. He turned his attention to his side and lifted his gun. It was a tactical assault rifle, the kind that you see in the movies. Angela called it the M4 assault rifle with a laser dot sight. He had been impressed that she knew the weapon but all she said was that she spent too much time in a war torn country or two and hanging around militia and military groups.

Mac had laughed at the explanation and the face he had made. Adam was gob smacked at the fact that Angela made their arsenal appear out of nowhere. So it was a laugh at his expense especially when Angela showed him how to hold the rifle and use it. There hadn't been time to make him an expert like a soldier but enough so he wasn't accidentally shooting anyone on his side or looking like an idiot because he wasn't used to the kick. It was his now and he was going to use it to help defend Angela and get her back. He lifted his rifle and fired.

* * *

Michael sighed, bored at the fact that Adam was going to resist again and fight back along with the pair that had him curious. He knew there were no other occupants of the cage and Lucifer had no idea who they were. He could only guess that she had something to do with it. The strange thing was that it seemed that she had no idea she had done it and treated them kindly but with the suspicion that they were created by Lucifer.

 _She has the skills. She just doesn't remember._

Michael knew that she was special. It had been made clear since day one when Father put her on earth. He had spent centuries watching from afar as per his privilege of being in charge of the Host. He watched as she struggled living amongst the humans. Always blending in but never quite a part of them.

He knew Castiel had been in contact with her. It was a surprise to learn that the little pest of an angel was her guardian angel. Still he thought he could use it to his advantage but that didn't quite work out. He underestimated the power of their connection with each other. He tried re-education but that didn't work out either. The angel still chose disobedience to help her, protect her… save her.

Michael couldn't understand how she was able to do that. She drew people to her. Even other angels she drew to her and they were willing to follow her down whatever path she went. They believed in her. He had never considered that type of loyalty. He thought he understood that concept. He was the good son after all. He had obeyed Father more than any of his other brothers.

 _She is special. Wait and see._

Michael shook his head and shifted his attention to look at the ongoing battle. He was surprised that Adam was holding up as long as he was. He was getting better and it was a little more fun with more modern human tactics. It certainly was fun using people from Angela's past. He only had observed from afar and didn't get an entire picture but he certainly had a nice glimpse into the world that she had been living in.

"Just leave us alone, Michael!"

Michael leaned over and saw Adam peering out and holding his gun out. It was rather amusing since human weapons didn't hurt him. The only thing that could seriously hurt an angel was an angel blade or something forged with Enochian magic. Besides everything here wasn't real but as long as it was perceived as real it could do some damage. But he wasn't concerned with it. He looked at the huddled human and replied, "You know I can't do that."

"Yeah well… it's not going to be pretty."

Michael heard the slight hitch and grinned. The kid was way in over his head with this one. "Oh really? You do know that this place can change on a dime." He snapped his fingers.

The scenery shifted to reflect more of the Afghanistan deserts. The rocks were still there but it was more of a desert. Michael rather liked this set up. He had seen the memories from Angela's mind and they were rather interesting. Lucifer had shown some interest in them as well. This place if Afghanistan seemed to be the driving force for how she did things.

"Oh nice. Change the scenery. That means you're scared."

It was rather comical when Adam said that. It had Michael frown since it was rather ridiculous for him to say that since it was clear he had the upper hand. "You really want to call it that?"

"You always change it when we have the upper hand."

Michael narrowed his eyes and looked over to where Adam was. It was then he noticed that some of the men he sent to flank were getting taken out by an invisible force. He had forgotten about the beast of hell that was here as well. That was another thing that had him confused. How in all of God's creations was she able to tame and train a hellhound? She wasn't a demon but she managed to get the beast that was created for Hades and relieved him from his demon captors and turned him into a loyal companion.

"Cat got your tongue?"

Michael turned his attention towards Adam. He smirked since this gave him the feeling that this was going to turn out a bit more interesting. "I think this is just the beginning." He snapped his fingers.

The sounds of voices babbling one of the languages of the world filled Michael's ears as he stepped out and started directing the men. He watched as Adam popped out and returned fire. He didn't understand how this human thought he could hold him off. It wasn't like they had the ability to get more troops in. She was unconscious and he knew that because Lucifer was having his fun with Sam physically and mentally.

A bark and growl sounded and Michael turned to see one of his men go down. The blood was spraying everywhere as the snarling tore into the flesh of the man. He watched the flesh get torn apart and fly. One was down and a second was down. The screaming was intense as the second man had his flesh torn and blood loss was evident. The hellhound was going to be a problem and he had to take care of it.

He moved forward but was held back when a couple of bullets hit near his feet. He looked up and saw Adam out and firing again in his direction but never really trying to hit him. He did come close though so it wasn't a make of if he could hit him but a matter of when. It had Michael impressed since he never thought that Adam was capable and he had been inside of the kid's head before he was forced out. He looked at Adam and asked, "You really think that you can hit me?"

The responding fire answered his question. This time it came dangerously close to his feet. Michael grinned and held up his hand. It stopped the attacking men for now but he couldn't do anything about the dead and ripped up bodies that were lying there. He looked around for the hellhound but couldn't see him. That was going to be a problem and he could see the true look of the hellhound. He looked back at Adam and continued, "You must know that you can't win this. Eventually you're going to run out of bullets."

Michael paused to hear the retort. He frowned when he didn't get one he shifted to get a look. Adam was nowhere in sight and caused him to frown some more. He looked around. There was no sign of the hell hound either. What was he up to? He took a chance and started walking forward. He was barely there when he was attacked from behind.

The action had him reeling but he didn't see his attacker. Michael frowned at that since he knew for certain that Adam didn't have any ability like that. The hellhound would be fast and invisible but not that fast. Something was up. It couldn't be Angela since she was incapacitated and Lucifer was having his way with her. The soldier, maybe and the same with the girl since she had shown proficiency with Romani magic.

The attack came from behind and it was the equivalent of getting hit with a tree branch, the kind of force he would feel if it were one of his brothers. He whipped around to try and find who or what was doing that. He didn't like this and he was going to make the individual responsible for what he did. He kept turning that he didn't see the cause of it appear behind him until they said, "Didn't expect that didn't ya?"

Michael blinked and turned around to see Adam standing there. "Impossible."

"Maybe for a human," Adam replied before reaching over to pet the shoulder of Cerebus. It looked like he was patting air but it was an indicator of how large the hellhound was. He continued, "But it helps when you have a hellhound that knows a thing or two."

Michael smirked and nodded. He clearly underestimated the hellhound. True he knew that it was a specialty hound created to guard the gates of Tartarus. It was unique in that it had three heads and it could interchange between the three and the one. More for appearances sake. Whatever though, since that didn't really give an indication of the strength of the hound. "So you use a hellhound. Do you know what they are for?"

"I assume it's for hell. Name and all," Adam replied leaving his hand on Cerebus' shoulder. His fingers ran in the fur as he stared at Michael but keeping an eye on for anything that Michael may do with the other guys. "And this guy is a badass."

"Of course. He's supposed to be guarding Tartarus but somehow he's the pathetic pet of Angela," Michael retorted through gritted teeth. "An impossible feat since no one aside from demons should be able to handle the hounds."

"First time for everything," Adam replied with a shrug. He found it weird himself but he wasn't going to question it. Cerebus had been by his side since he had been freed and Angela explained a few things to him. He thought the hellhound was pretty cool and a big softie when it came to people that he claimed as his own. He certainly had seen that between the mutt and Angela.

Right now Cerebus was doing what Angela said that he was bred to do. Or at least a part of him that had awakened when she saved him from death. Adam found it hard to believe that she actually fought Cerebus and instead of letting him die since she did give a killing blow, she healed him, saving his life. Since then he had followed her lead and sired puppies that were left behind and topside.

Michael looked at Adam holding the gun he had been carrying and holding onto the large hellhound. Well this was something new so maybe he could change it up. He smirked a little and replied, "Well then since you decided to change the rules…" He snapped his fingers to make the scenery change. He held in his hand a flaming sword. Maybe it was over the top but it did fuel the humans' ridiculous depictions of him defeating Lucifer when he cast him out. If only he had the one weapon that he knew would work. He looked at Adam and continued, "So now… I know you are protecting her body."

Adam knew it was no use to lie about it. He looked and found that he had a sword in his hand and his gun had disappeared. Well that was just perfect. He really was not liking this place. At least he was with Cerebus who was growling and ready to attack. "Yeah well, after what you and Lucifer did to her… yeah."

"Then you know what I aim to do."

"Not gonna happen."

"We'll see."

Adam tensed as he watched Michael tense up. He recognized the move to attack. He was sure as hell not ready to go against an angel but he knew that he had to protect Angela. He put a hand on Cerebus' shoulder and muttered to be ready.

Michael looked at Adam as he huddled by the hellhound. The hound would be nothing. They could be beaten. They were hideous creatures. But that would be nothing since he would get a chance to get her and make her pay for her disobedience. He tensed and then sprang forward. He would show them the price for their insolence and trying to defy destiny.

* * *

 **A/N:** Angie and Sam may be out of it but Mac, Adam and Tsura know that she could be in serious trouble if harm comes to her body so they are doing what they can to protect it. Stay tuned for next time on Over the Edge...


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 _Me and Sam. What have I done?_

Angela felt her chest tightened as she led the way. She was still having trouble believing that she and Sam were connected. True she had been able to connect with the telepath thing much easier than she had done with her strays and other people. She even connected with Dean and his major talents was that he was pretty good at staying out of the deep shit that meant dismemberment and death. While he did go to hell and had been iced because of Gabriel at the Mystery Spot… he was a little more than normal hunter. Sam was good too.

 _I just wanted a relationship and now I've…_

She didn't like that she had done something that bound him to an obligation that he may not want. It was one of the few things that she had cursed her heritage on. She felt that he had forced him into something and it was something they both didn't know about but she felt she should have. When she found him… she was going to have to apologize to him. He didn't deserve that.

"You really need to stop blaming yourself for this," Morpheus droned on in a slightly bored tone. "If anything I'd say that even if you did know about it, you jumped into it willingly."

Angela snorted and wheeled around to look at the god of dreams. She narrowed her eyes at him and replied, "It doesn't matter if I did know. The point is that I should have known. And stop with trying to get into my head. It's annoying."

"Please you're projecting. It's written all over your face." Morpheus gave a snort of his own as he followed her. "You may be focused on getting through whatever your mind is conjuring up with a little help from the whiny brat Lucifer, but your thoughts are still on the fact that you feel guilty for something that is now done and said."

Angela huffed at that, "It may be done but Sam had no say in it. I took his choice away."

"Is that what is bothering you? The fact that he may not have been fully informed to make a decision?"

Angela looked away from Morpheus. Yes she did feel that way at the moment. By claiming Sam, she basically took away his choice. His choice to say yes he wanted it or no he wanted to go slow. She closed her eyes as she thought about it some more. She always tried to give people the choice. She didn't tell them what to do especially when their life was on the line. She never asked people to do what she wasn't willing to do herself and she disliked it when she put them in a position when there was no other choice. Here, she felt she had done the same to Sam and she disliked herself for doing that.

"You know, I get the feeling that he won't mind as much," Morpheus dropped in a hinting tone. He gave a slight shrug and muttered, "Considering his dreams are pretty interesting since they involve you. The nightmares though…" He rubbed his head.

"Don't you dare," Angela warned. She held up her finger as she narrowed her eyes at the god of dreams. "Don't try to pique my interest in other people's dreams. That is like peeping Tom creepy."

"You never had qualms about it before."

Angela gritted her teeth and made a slight growl at that. She knew that Morpheus was right in that regard. She had peeked in on other dreams especially when she was trying to find her boys. When she was away the couple of times and especially when they were separated after Wyoming. Even though they weren't talking, well she and Dean weren't, she checked through their dreams to make sure they were okay. She knew she could easily infiltrate Sam's dreams if she wanted to but she didn't. Rather, when she started teaching him the finer points of dream walking, they met in the place she had created and he improved upon when she was little. It was a good place to practice without hurting anyone.

Morpheus smiled slightly at her as she groused. He knew that she was stuck because she was guilty of peeking in on dreams. She could justify it all she wanted but it was still the same thing. It was why they got along so well since that that was how they interacted. "All I'm saying is that you shouldn't worry too much. From what I've seen, Sam has never been happier than when he is with you."

Angela looked at Morpheus and blinked at that. She wasn't sure about making Sam happy but she knew she was happy being with him and living with him and Dean like… family. She looked away and thought about it some more. She still was going to have to explain to Sam when she found him and apologize.

 _It's okay Angie. Let it happen. You don't have to be afraid with me…_

Her pupils widened when she heard Sam's thoughts in her mind. He had spoken those words on their first night together. She remembered feeling… She turned in the direction that she had decided upon and said, "Right. Let's go."

Morpheus watched her with a bored expression as she passed him. He turned to follow. He knew that she was the most stubborn being to come into existence. He knew it would take her awhile to come around though the one with the most influence would be Sam. He would be the one to reassure her. Until then though, she would need to cling to that hope and it looked like she was doing just that since he recognized the fire in her eye.

They continued walking through what appeared to be a set of gardens. Morpheus looked around. They had the look of the sanctuary she had created to send off the staff of Osiris but the feeling was different. It was like there were several gardens in one and it had an almost dark aura or maybe haunted. He kept his guard up but he wouldn't be able to do much. If this was done much like a dreamscape, he couldn't interfere in terms of solving the riddle. He could keep her out of trouble and be a guide but for the most part the rule about dreams is that it is for the dreamer to work out.

Angela glanced around her. The garden was beautiful but it had a dark aura to it. She knew that Dean accused her of being a romantic and girly and to be honest she was very girly. This felt like it was out of those Romantic era horror novels she loved. But… She felt it then and there. It was like those chills you got down the spine. Her teeth gritted as she made a slight sound and looked around.

There was a rustling in the bushes and Angela turned her attention towards it. Her hands clenched into fists, ready to fight it. She almost wanted to moan when out came a little girl giggling. She paused but didn't advance as the girl giggled holding a ball. The girl paused and looked at her and smiled before turning and running towards an empty field.

Angela knew that she shouldn't follow but she couldn't help it. The little girl was her. She started jogging to keep up with Morpheus' protests ringing in her ears. She ignored him and followed the girl, her younger self. She followed until she came to a wide open spot. There was the girl and her back was to her. She paused and looked at the girl and couldn't help but ask, "Are you lost?"

"Yes."

Angela felt the tug at her heartstrings. She had always admitted to Sam and Dean that she was a sucker for kids. She would never hesitate to help them out. Yet she knew that she couldn't be so quick here because this was hell and more than likely Lucifer would try to kill her here. She took a breath and replied but didn't step forward, "What happened?"

"I lost my family," the girl replied sobbing, "And it's all my fault."

Angela watched as the girl started sobbing. She really didn't want to leave the girl like that but she couldn't trust herself with that. It was echoed in agreement when Morpheus stepped up and said, "Seems like the first of the fun is to begin. You know this is a trick."

"Or possibly a few other things," Angela replied with a pensive glance at the god of dreams. She shifted to look at the sobbing girl. "After all it is always my fault I lose what is important to me. It gets taken from me because of who I am."

The girl continued to sob and rub her little fists against her eyes. She was muttering that it was her fault and that she was a bad thing and that she had done bad things. And because of that she lost her papa and then everyone else that became her family. Then she said, "I am a monster."

Angela stiffened when she heard that. How many times had that been attributed to her? More importantly, how many times had she referred to herself as that? More than she could count and it wasn't always out loud. But this was a child. Not taking it anymore, she advanced towards the child despite Morpheus' protests and said, "It is not your fault. You are not a monster." She couldn't help it and touched the little girl and pulled her into a hug.

The girl sobbed into her shoulder as she soothed her, saying that she wasn't a monster. The girl sobbed and then said, "Thank you but…"

The next thing Angela felt was herself being flung aside and hitting a column from one of the archways nearby. She hit it so hard it was a wonder that she hadn't broken it and made it collapse. She then heard, "You are a monster. We are a monster. Everything we touch dies."

Angela grimaced as she got to her feet. She saw the people she had known throughout the centuries standing there. The ones that met a bloody end were alive but had that haunted look of the dead. Their skin was pale and the dried blood was caked on. It was like watching a zombie horror flick or something but all she saw were dead bodies like when she used to walk through the battlefields in the aftermath a long time ago, looking for any survivors.

They stood there looking at her. She could pick out a few that held a special place. Her eyes widened when Hawkins appeared and she gasped when he stared at her with such hatred. That wasn't the end of it. She saw Ellen and Jo looking at her with such anger and they said, "This is your fault. If you hadn't started it…"

"If you didn't exist…" Bobby came forth looking at her with burning hate.

Angela felt her throat convulse as she got to her feet. It was her fault that Ellen and Jo were dead. Yeah they made the choice but she should have been more insistent. She would have been able to heal Jo and get her out. She felt her body begin to visibly shake as she saw more people including Hassina and her daughter looking at her. The daughter looked at her with that imploring look while Hassina looked at her like she was the most terrible creature in the world as she said, "I wish that demon did do those horrible things to you. You deserve to be raped and cut."

Angela grimaced at that. She knew what Alú had done to those girls. No one deserved that but deep down she knew she deserved punishment. After all her decisions had led people to their deaths. Even if she tried for low to zero body count, someone always paid the price. And getting the laws of the Old Religion involved… that was a whole other ballgame but still had devastating effects with the biggest being a life for a life. Most people thought it was a life debt but when invoking the old ways… it was a bit more literal.

Standing there, looking at her younger self that was starting to look a little bit more like death itself, not the actual horseman, but the ugliness marring the innocence of youth, she took evened breaths but she couldn't help the pensive expression that was on her face. She raised her brow when Dean came into view looking like he did when the hellhound chewed him up. He looked at her full of hatred saying, "You did this. You killed Mom and Dad and you killed me."

Angela opened her mouth slightly when she heard Morpheus whisper, "What do you truly think?"

She knew he was trying to help her out. It was one of those toeing the line when it came to interference with mortals. And it wasn't like she could criticize him anyway since she was guilty herself of toeing the line with the whole balance of the universe thing all that jazz. As it where, it was a means of grounding her as she looked at the images both dead an alive that were looking at her, blaming her. She knew that it was her guilt fueling this and quite possibly Lucifer playing on it.

"You killed her."

Angela looked up from where she was standing to see the one person that had the ability to destroy her. She looked at Sam as he appeared looking like he did when they had their first job together after Chicago. This time though was that look that caused a chill down her spine when she saw that he was hooked on demon blood but his eyes held burning hatred for her. She blinked and couldn't help but voice, "Sam?"

"You killed her. You killed Jess."

Angela felt her throat constrict as she looked at Sam. That conversation was still fresh in her mind where she confessed to being there when Jess had been killed and she had nearly died. "I didn't kill her, Sam. Brady killed her."

"And you just watched."

"And I nearly died."

The verbal abuse continued with the other figures pointing out all the times she allowed someone to die or claiming that she killed them. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. She heard their voices and it pounded in her skull. She shouted at them, "Stop!"

It was thunderous silence that erupted when the figures grew silent. Angela looked at them and saw the looks of hatred looking at her. They were stiff and silent until the clapping started. It was a mocking clap and from around the corner came Azazel grinning at her in a mocking manner. He said, "Very impressive my pretty. Better than when we first met."

Angela narrowed her eyes at him. "You're not real."

"I'm as real as it gets," Azazel replied as he gestured around. "I told you this is where all your worst nightmares will happen. You recognize them." He gestured at the people she had met as he looked at her.

Angela looked at them but focused her attention onto Azazel. She shook her head slightly and looked around saying, "Come out Lucifer. I know you're here."

Azazel chuckled at that, "You really don't get it do you? I'm the only one here." He grinned at her. "You are not escaping me this time." He spotted Morpheus and waved his hand. "And we can't have him interfere."

Angela turned to see Morpheus being surrounded by a barrier that became invisible but the sigils on the ground appeared. It was like a devil's trap but for a god. She looked at Azazel. She could see that it was going to be a fight and Lucifer was really pulling out the stops. She looked up to see Azazel charging at her.

* * *

The alleyway was like déjà vu for Sam. He tensed and winced as he recognized the scenery. It had been months since he last had this dream or rather nightmare. He looked around for any sign of Angela since he knew to expect her in one form or another. And this nightmare usually started with her running.

"This is familiar."

Sam shifted to see Angela standing next to him. He gave a slight eye roll since he knew that it wasn't the real one. He wasn't rude though and answered, "It's from… a nightmare."

Angela looked around and nodded in an approving manner, "Ah, the one where something chases me and usually comes to near killing me or actually killing me."

Sam looked at Angela that wasn't Angela and raised his brow. He was not used to her talking like that and it made him feel like he was crazy. "I wish you wouldn't do that. Gets confusing."

Angela looked at him and cocked her head to the side like an inquisitive puppy. She raised her brow and replied, "Only stating the obvious. I am Angela but the…"

"Part that belongs to me," Sam finished, "I know but what does that even mean?"

"Exactly what it means. How you understand it…" She shrugged at that a little, "… depends on you. What you will end up knowing." She shifted to look at him in the eye. "I've told you the basics. It's up to you to remember and work with it."

Sam looked at her. It was how she would give a situation. He sighed and was going to say something when a giggle caught his attention. His eyes widened slightly as he turned and saw her. His breath choked a little as he felt her hand on his shoulder. His own hand instinctively went to cover hers as he stared.

It was Angela but not as he knew her. She was a little girl. Her pigtails were bouncing like happy floppy puppy ears as she ran giggling, playing with a stick with a ribbon tied to it. She was twirling it around as she ran along the dirty streets. It was not the ideal place for a child to be playing and it wasn't like Sam was having much control over his thoughts right now. He wasn't focused enough.

"Such a cutie."

Sam was in agreement in that and gave a silent nod. When she was that size, he thought she was adorable. And it felt like he and Dean and Bobby had been privileged to see her before she became the woman that she was now, the one that he fell in love with and was now in here in hell with him, suffering like him. It made him determined to give her more moments like that when they were together.

The adult Angela shifted her head and smiled pleasantly as she watched the younger version of herself look at her playing. She hummed a little and commented, "Such happy times. More so when they occurred in the now."

Sam didn't hear a word of it as he stepped forward and looked at the little girl. He watched as she played with the stick and ribbon, waving it around and making vibrant curls in the air. It looked like a dance, much like every movement she made whether it was walking or fighting… it was all like an elaborate dance. He was startled though when she turned and spotted him and called out, "Sammy! You're here!"

Up until now, Sam was used to things in the dream state ignoring him when he was actively participating. The normal nightmares were different. Now, he had mini-Angie looking at him with such happiness and running up to him. He couldn't resist getting down on his knees and opening his arms to welcome the hug she tackled him with. It was a wonder that he didn't get poked with the stick but that didn't matter. He felt what he always did when she hugged him like that.

"I love you, Sammy."

Sam's throat convulsed as he replied, "I love you too, Angie."

"I know you do. You always have… once you figured it out."

Sam glanced over at the older version and saw that she was smirking at him in that teasing fashion of hers. He made a slight face but continued to hug the little version. He knew she wasn't real but it felt real enough and it pulled forward all his feelings that he had for her. It also triggered his protective instincts and he knew that they would go on overdrive.

"Will you stay with me, Sammy?"

Sam turned his attention to the little Angela as he heard her question. He held onto her and replied, "Yes."

"Always?"

"Always and forever."

Sam would have said more but they were interrupted by a voice he knew too well, "Now that's a phrase I haven't heard in a long, long time. Did you come up with that one yourself?"

Sam looked up to see Lucifer walking in with a smirk. His throat convulsed as his body tensed up. He held onto small Angela and felt bad that he heard her whimper and mutter to him, asking why the mean man was there. He held onto her as he adjusted his feet. "What do you want, Lucifer?"

"What he has been doing since you've been here, Sam," adult Angela said as she surveyed the scene. Her expression turned firm as she looked at the devil, gauging what he was going to do. "Torturing you."

"And seems like you've got a friend. I thought so."

Sam narrowed his gaze at the devil as he stood up. He realized that the little version of Angela was still clutching to him and he held onto her. He put his free hand on her back to reassure her as her whimpers lessened and she shifted to look at what he was looking at. "Don't."

It was all Sam could say since the adult Angela pretty much nailed it. The only reason Lucifer was there was to torture him. They were in hell and he had been at the whims of the devil and Michael for… he had no idea but it felt like years. Yet this was the first time he felt compelled to fight back. Maybe it had to do with the fact that he was holding a hallucination of her when she was small and the one standing next to him… he still wasn't completely sure about it, but that fire he felt when he perceived a threat to her was starting to burn.

In the meantime, Lucifer was looking at him with a bemused expression. Sam couldn't tell if he could see the other Angela, the one that was his. It seemed though that he could just by the way that he was looking at them. All Sam could do was do what he could do to fight back. He probably had zero chance considering the beatings and other things but… he wouldn't give up for her.

"I can tell you're thinking about what to do," Lucifer taunted a little. He wagged his finger at Sam. "You're thinking about if you can fight me off to let the little one get away. Maybe use your other friend?"

Sam glanced at the adult Angela as she stood there looking at the devil. He recognized the look, the one that said that she would fight no matter what and that was to protect him. He glanced at the little one in his arms and noted that she was looking at the devil with a blank expression. It wasn't scared or any recognizable emotion. It was a serious one for one so little and one that he fondly remembered when she used to look at things with that expression. It was surprising when she turned that look at him and stared at him straight on. He looked at her as she stared at him and queried, "Angie?"

She was silent but Lucifer's voice entered in with mocking tones, "What are you going to do Sam? I've got all the time in the world and so much fun planned for you both."

Sam glanced at Lucifer just as the adult Angela said, "You know what I will do."

Sam looked at the devil once more before looking at the little one in his arms. She was still staring at him with that expression. She then said, "Do what you have to do."

Sam made a slight frown as he looked at her, "Wha…"

"Do what you have to do, Sammy. You always come." The little one then smiled at him gently.

Sam looked at her as she smiled at her. He glanced over at Lucifer who was looking bemused at him. He could almost hear him taunting him that he was better than him. He knew that he was going to have to fight his way out but didn't really acknowledge it. This time he wasn't alone but it was still a fight and one that he was certain was going to lead to something else.

* * *

 **A/N:** Round one for Sam and Angie have come up and it looks like it's going to be a wild ride. Stay tuned for next time on Over the Edge...


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Tsura looked around as she heard the sounds of fighting and in panic. She looked at the entrance of the cave, knowing that if the defenses fell, then there was nothing stopping Michael from getting in and doing whatever to Angela. She turned a worried look towards the still body as it jumped almost as if it were suffering a convulsion. She swallowed as she watched the limbs flail like limp fish or something equally slimy.

She had never seen anything like this before. All she knew was the training in magic her grandmother had been instructing her in and that usually involved that of a fortune telling party trick as well as learning to fight and defend with said magic. Her specific specialty were the curses and they were the kind that could be used on the beings that harmed humans. Her first spell she had witnessed her grandmother prepare was done on a vampire, one of the ones that killed humans; one that the Romani said were perversions of the original ones.

Tsura never thought that she would be using her magic in the fight of her life though it may be moot since she wasn't exactly real. She got that she was probably a figment of the imagination but while she was physically here, she would do what she could to help her friends. But she felt powerless in this case since she had no idea what to do except to make sure that no one harmed Angela's body. Mac was in a better position to know what to do.

After Adam went out with Cerebus to confront Michael, Mac made more preparations. He pulled out a piece of chalk from his pack and started drawing on the walls of the cave. It had Tsura wondering who Mac was since he drew sigils that ranged from Romani to things she had never seen before. Most of them looked like squiggles that came from a child's painting.

"Just something I picked up here and there," was what Mac had said as he drew them all over the walls.

Tsura had to ask, "What are they for?"

"Well… Adam there is not going to last too long even with the hellhound," he replied, "These will make sure that the place is secure."

"Any idea how long?"

"As long as we can give ya."

"How long?"

Then Mac gave her a long look as he finished one of his squiggles. It was a long and thoughtful one and one where he wasn't sure about what to tell her. Finally he said, "It will stay indefinitely as long as these are here. Don't break them and even Lucifer himself won't be able to make it in here."

That was reassuring but it didn't help that Mac added the caveat that he had to be alive for it to remain intact. That meant the burden was on him to stay alive considering that he had backed himself out towards the entrance. That had Tsura in a panic and said that he shouldn't go out then; that he should stay and she would go and help Adam.

"Aye, makes sense love. But I'm a warrior, a soldier. Protecting is my calling." Mac then gave that lopsided grin that had Angela grin with him.

Tsura couldn't say or do anything to convince Mac to do otherwise. She had to let him go and she did, staying behind to be the last line of defense. She watched as he stood outside the cave and drew the last of his sigils and she saw the shimmer of the ward coming into place. He tested it by tossing a rock at it and it bounced off like hitting a wall. He then grinned and turned to go help Adam and she was left by herself.

Looking at Angela and then at the cave walls, Tsura sighed in worry. It was then that Angela's body jolted like someone had given it a good kick. She watched Angela's face seem to contort like she would if she was dreaming. Yet Mac told her that it was a trance since her awareness was in the spirit realm. She couldn't see the difference in that but she was willing to take the chance and go with it. After all, ever since she joined Angela on this journey she had been exposed to strange things.

Looking at Angela, she said in a low voice, "I hope you know what to do Angie. We need you here."

There was no response of course but it made her feel better. Tsura looked around and stared at the sigils that had been drawn everywhere. She had confidence that Mac would be able to stay alive and help Adam. She was more concerned that something bad may happen to Angela and they wouldn't be able to help her. True they could protect her body but they couldn't protect her mind if she was in serious trouble there.

 _There are things girl that defy what has been taught to the Romani and that involves that which we cannot always see._

Tsura made a slight snort since she could almost hear the old woman talking to her as she taught her more of Romani magic. It was true though. The magic she knew was more practical and reactionary meaning that if say a vampire killed one of their own, their magic could be used to curse them. There were harsh retaliations for disturbing of the dead. But there was little to nothing when it came to interacting with the spirits and the realm they occupy.

It wasn't that they didn't want to learn. It was more of a tradition of respect for the dead and the spirits. True there were some instances where there were interactions but the Romani had a particular branch of magic that was unique and they were more like protectors of the dead. This was something that was new and a little scary for her.

A noise caught her attention and Tsura was on her feet as she approached the entrance to the cave. She peered out when she noticed that the lighting had changed. She didn't exit since she didn't want to risk being locked out but she peered outside and noticed how the landscape seemed to change. It was more like open grass fields and she couldn't hear guns anymore. She thought she heard the clang of metal on metal. That meant…

A sound caught Tsura's attention and she turned to see Angela twitching again like she was undergoing a seizure. She started to head towards her to hold her down so she wouldn't hurt herself when a snarl caught her attention. Turning she saw the invisible ward reflect from impact from an invisible force. She jumped slightly when she saw it hit the wall again and the ward shimmered followed snarling and snapping. She was glad the ward was still there since she knew that it was a hellhound.

The hellhounds had been added nearly a week ago. It was a feat to keep them away since once they caught your scent, they hounded you until you were dead or killed it. What had them baffled was how they could be in the cage. It was hard to remember that nothing was real. Everything created by Lucifer or them was made to be real enough to inflict damage and could kill them… well kill Angela and Adam. Angela and Mac had been able to keep them at bay with the tricks they knew including having Cerebus take them on and exerting his influence as the big boss hellhound.

From the pounding on the ward, she could see there were at least two of them. And they were being relentless in pounding on the ward. True Mac said that as long as he was alive they would be up but Tsura had to think about the possibility of him being injured. If it was based upon his individual strength, then that would mean it could weaken. Looking at the ward, she saw the invisible wall quiver and that made up her mind.

It was one of the last few things she had learned from the elder. It was the only thing that she was truly good at. Offensive magic, hers in particular, was out of control. Everyone said she put too much emotion into it and went overboard. But when it came to barrier magic… that was her specialty. Her desire to protect drove it and they were nearly impossible to break. And right now she needed to make a contingency plan just in case. It wasn't that she didn't have faith in Mac but he was only human and their job was to keep Angela's body safe until she woke up.

The snarling and snapping drove Tsura to attention as she pulled out the piece of chalk that Mac had left behind, thankful that he did leave it behind. She began drawing on the walls some basic sigils, taking care not to disrupt anything Mac had done. Then she used it to draw the circle in the sand on the ground. She also drew the sigils on the ground while chanting the song that she used. She never knew why she sang while she cast her spell but it was pretty effective.

The snarling and the snapping intensified but she ignored them as best as she could while she continued to sing. She did note that the ward Mac laid seemed to shimmer in weakness. She needed to speed things up but she couldn't get sloppy. Pressure was not her thing but she had learned fast how to take it. They were constantly on the move and every other day they were fighting for their lives and Angela was the one that did all the heavy lifting no matter what Adam or Mac said.

Tsura pulled out her herbs and placed them in the shallow hole she had made for them while she chanted in the language of her people in an almost singsong of a voice. The snarling and snapping was growing louder and sounded like a pack of dogs that were slavering for the kill. She kept her focus on the herbs in the bowl as she lit a match and flung it into the mixture.

The smell of herbs started to fill the air and she wafted it towards her. The scent of the herbs hit her nose and she felt herself sink into that place that she always felt when she did a spell. As a little girl, she had always liked the smell of herbs. They were unique and exotic even if they were local herbs. She strove to learn about the different kinds of herbs that were out there and what they were used for and learned that each caster had their own unique blend. This was hers.

The snarling and thuds became incessant until the ward gave way. The telltale sign was that of the fading of the ward. Tsura had hoped that it wouldn't happen and she refused to think the worst. Rather she figured that something wore Mac down and the ward responded. She opened her eyes when she heard the snarling as one of the hellhounds managed to get through. It landed through the entrance with a thud and she saw the dirt splatter, like it plopped.

The hellhound was quick to be back on its feet and growling and snarling. Tsura could hear their feet padding on the ground. There were at least two of them and they were pretty big. Not as big as Cerebus since he was huge when he went invisible and charged. That dog was strong enough to knock over a tree if he wanted to. She could smell them; they had the stench of death and sulfur on them. The sulfur was from the pit and the death… from their victims that they chased down and carried to hell. And here they were on the hunt and she was the only thing standing between them and Angela's body.

Tsura looked at the hellhounds even though she couldn't see them with a narrowed look. They were doing a classic pincer attack. They loped until there was one on either side of her. She looked to the left and to the right. She could feel their noxious breath even though they weren't close enough to touch her but she didn't flinch. She raised her brow at one and said something in the Romani language and then in English, "You're not going to get her you sons of bitches."

The hellhounds charged together as she screamed out the phrase she knew so well and used in her spells. The hellhounds would have tackled her and tore her apart but they never touched her. There was a flash of light and whimpers. Tsura opened her eyes, unaware that her eyes had glowed in reaction to the spell taking effect. All she saw were dents in the ground and the plumes of dirt from the paws pounding the ground.

The spell had worked. She watched as they tried again but this time trying to get to Angela's prone body behind her. They were repelled just like before. And they were angry that they couldn't get in. She heard the snarls and the repeated attempts. Her spell will hold them back for now but she needed a miracle or something that would take care of the hellhounds. She prayed that Adam and Mac would get there in time.

She turned when she heard a slight moan from Angela. She saw the body start to convulse as if it were being hit. She couldn't move though. She had to stay rooted where she was in order to keep the ward going strong. Location as well as stamina figured into this. The repeated pounding though wasn't going to make things easy. The hellhounds were determined to get in and it looked like they didn't care who they tore to shreds.

Looking back at the body, Tsura pursed her lips into a determined line even though she was worried. She took a couple of deep breaths as she looked at the cave entrance and the hellhounds pacing around her ward. She breathed, "Please find your way back, Angie. We need you. They won't stop."

* * *

The human mind was a fascinating thing. Fascinating to hold interest even though the beings that held it were flawed abortions. Lucifer had interest in the things that people could come up with to cope with whatever trauma happened to them. They were so peculiar about it especially with the fantasies that they came up with. What he was interested in was what she had going on in her head. It was a desire that he had ever since she decided to barge in when he was trying to convince Sam to say yes in the beginning. Since then…

He had to make do with Sam. The things he saw in that melon… It was probably enough to make the most sane of person insane. The secrets, the lies… everything was spilled out in front of him and all because Sam said yes. And the perplexing thing was that she didn't even do anything to stop it. He still didn't get why she didn't bother to do anything until the very end. The whole jumping into the cage… that was her but everything before that…

He peered at Sam as he maneuvered to put the little girl in a position to be protected. It was amusing to see since he knew how vicious Sam could be. Then again there was a reason he was acting that way and he knew full well what it was. He had been in Sam's noggin and had seen a few things that influenced his treatment of Sam. He could see thought that Sam was intending to fight and that was actually quite stimulating since previously any resistance was halfhearted at best.

He watched as Sam stepped forward, ready to fight. He taunted, "What are you going to do, Sam? Fight me?"

"I'll do what I have to do."

Lucifer laughed. He could tell that Sam was going to make good on what he said. He saw the balled fists and he couldn't help but taunt him some more, "So you're going to rip me apart from the inside out?"

It was amusing when Sam paused a bit. Of course Lucifer would remember that one. He thought it amusing since it was clear at the time that Sam had no hope of taking the gag off or getting back control. He did underestimate him though since Sam did manage to take control of the wheel. He pulled off the impossible and now they were back here and he didn't come back alone. So it wasn't completely bad and it was uplifting now that Sam was starting to fight back.

"I still can do that."

"I'm sure you can," Lucifer mocked. He grinned as he looked at Sam. He then made a waving motion and the little girl came flying towards him and suspended her in the air. He chuckled as she watched her struggle and noticed Sam make a move. He held his hand out to stop him, "Don't try it Sam. Not unless you want to see the worst of your nightmares play out."

"Let her go."

"Why?" Lucifer frowned at Sam. "You know she's not real."

"Let her go."

Lucifer pursed his lips as it turned into a grin as he took a couple of steps forward. He moved towards the little girl as she struggled to get free. There was a terrified look on her face as he stepped forward. "What are you worried about? What are you afraid of?"

It was a rhetorical question but it was fun for the fallen angel. He liked hearing the excuses that were made. Some were creative and intrigued him. Besides, he wanted to see how far Sam Winchester would go in terms to admitting his reasons why. He smiled at Sam as he reached up and held onto one of the little girl's hands and played with her fingers. He relished in the fact that she was too scared to do anything and he was getting a reaction from Sam.

"Don't touch her."

Lucifer didn't respond but he grinned at Sam as he continued to play with the little girl's fingers. He noted the trembling she took. So innocent she looked at this age. Didn't even know what life was full of down the road, what she would encounter, the things that make her who she was. He looked at Sam and grinned at him. "What are you afraid of, Sam? Why shouldn't I touch this beautiful specimen?"

"Leave… her… alone!"

Lucifer was expecting the charge and with a wave of his hand, he sent Sam flying back and into the wall of one of the buildings. "You think I wasn't expecting that? I know you Sam. Such anger… and not directed at the right person."

"No, it's at the right one. You."

Lucifer was impressed that Sam was able to get to his feet. He had thrown him hard enough and it was enough for his body to feel it in the real world. Probably he was spitting up blood from the injury. He would have to be careful if he didn't want Sam to expire anytime soon. Still, if he wanted to make an impression on her, he was going to have to do something to make her react and find him. He tsked at Sam, "Now, now. You and I both know that if it hadn't been for her, things would have been a lot different."

"It would have happened regardless."

Lucifer blurted out a chortle. Now that was a laugh. He really believed that? "You really believe that? What happened is off script because of her." He made his point by slamming Sam into the wall again. He watched as blood dribbled out of Sam's mouth.

"It's because of her, that you are here and not topside."

"And in case you haven't noticed, you're here with me," Lucifer pointed out. He held onto the little girl's hand and played with her fingers only to annoy and taunt Sam more. He watched as Sam spat out the blood that was in his mouth. No doubt there was blood dribbling out of his mouth. Just as long as he didn't die in both here and there things would be fine.

It was amusing to watch Sam huff and puff but it was fast becoming boring. Now was the time to step up the game and really make Sam squirm. He said, "And I still have her." He played with the little girl's fingers. "You know she was always meant to be mine."

"Stop touching her."

"Or what?"

Lucifer knew that it was a bit of child's play going into that dialogue. Still it was fun on some level since this was the most her got out of Sam ever since coming back down to this hell hole. He grinned as he continued, "Are you afraid that she won't… recognize you?"

It was probably the cruelest trick in the book but he had done it to Sam before. Only this time he was going to play harder as he took on the form of Sam Winchester. He grinned as he moved to put a hand on the little one's head. He looked at her and smiled a disarming smile as he stroked her hair. "Afraid that she won't recognize who you really are?"

"Stop it. Let her go."

Lucifer heard Sam but ignored him. He plucked the girl out of the air and held her. He took in the scared expression that was also mingled with confusion. He knew that she didn't understand what was going on but he knew full well that Sam did. He held her and looked at her with a smile. "Now, now, Angie. You remember me, don't you? You know me better than anyone here in this room." He turned slightly so he could get a good look at Sam's expression and asked him, "So what are you going to do Sam? Fight yourself?"

Lucifer watched as Sam battled with what to do. This was way more amusing than he thought. He held onto the little one and then glanced at Sam's companion. She was just standing there, like she didn't know what to do or she was ready to pounce on him. Either way, it was going to be a good fight if Sam decided the risk was worth it. He asked, "Or are you going to let your bodyguard fight me? She looks pretty riled up."

It was clear that Sam was confused about the whole thing. Lucifer watched as the confusion fell on Sam's face until he looked at his companion, which was the perfect version of his pretty, and then it became clear. That was an interesting turn of events and Lucifer filed it away to think about and contemplate the possibility of using it to further torment Sam. Or he could just do it now and really put a spin on things. He taunted some more, "Don't you recognize who that is?"

"I know who it is."

Lucifer raised a warning finger as he held onto the little one. As it were she was leverage of a sorts. It kept Sam from attacking him and doing anything before he fully had his fun. "Don't lie to me, Sam," he warned, "You can show me that much since I have never lied to you. Not once since you opened my cage."

"I know who it is and right now I want you to put her down."

"Put who down?"

"Don't you dare…"

"Or what?" Lucifer shrugged like it was nothing. He pointed out, "I am merely trying to clarify who it is you're talking about. See, this little one is someone you know." He then pointed at Sam's companion, "And that one is someone you know. And she looks magnificent by the way."

"Only in your perverted dreams."

"And she speaks," Lucifer replied with glee. He tightened his grip since he felt the little one start to struggle. No way this was going to end so quickly. "I was wondering when you would open your mouth. Please tell me you've told him what you are."

"He knows."

"I know."

"Ah but the question is will he remember?" Lucifer took in the puzzled looks from both until he sighed in boredom and explained, "Sam… you didn't know what I was talking about until I gestured towards her." He gestured again at the elder Angela, "And she didn't speak because she can't… unless you want her to."

"I speak when I want, fallen angel," Sam's companion replied, "And it is only the beginning."

"We'll see about that," Lucifer cast a knowing look in her direction before looking at Sam. He then asked, "So… what's it going to be Sam?"

"Let her go and I'll do what you want."

"Tempting, but…" Lucifer let it hang for a moment before he held the little one in full view of Sam. He then muttered in a soothing tone, "Now what are you scared of? It's me, Sammy."

Lucifer spared only a glance at Sam before looking at the little one and with a deft twist, snapped the child's neck with his bare hands. It was much more satisfying than using his powers. Plus it had the desired effect on Sam. He heard the younger Winchester scream out in anger and the next thing he knew he had a six foot four man charging at him and he welcomed it.

* * *

 **A/N:** Mac goes to help Adam but hellhounds get through and barely held off and Lucifer plays on Sam's worst nightmare. More to come on Over the Edge...


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The backhand was powerful enough to send her flying. Angela collided with a colonnade and it crumbled behind her in a crumbled mixture of plaster or whatever. She grabbed her jaw and massaged it before spitting out a mouthful of blood as she slowly stood up. Her eyes were narrowed as she eyed her opponent to size him up.

"You always did enjoy a good fight."

Angela wiped the blood off her lip and licked her lip. The split stung even though it wasn't real. She took a couple of breaths before speaking, "I like a good fight. A good way to show the true nature of someone. Like you Azazel."

Azazel grinned as he rubbed his hands and knuckles. He paced a little and stopped when he was right in front of her. He chuckled a little and replied, "So you think you know me?"

"I know that you are nothing more than Lucifer's underling."

"Too obvious."

Angela took a breath as she studied the illusion of the demon that was smirking at her. She looked over at Morpheus who was trapped in the warding circle that Azazel cast him into. She knew that she had to defeat him in some way if she was to free the god of dreams. She was going to have to confront what she learned a long time ago and possibly go through what she went through the previous times all over again.

Straightening up, she strengthened her resolve. She looked at the demon and said, "I remember when we first met. I set you free."

"Yes you did. And a perfect job. I have never seen a spell executed so perfectly." Azazel paced around as he recalled everything. "You brought everything needed to break the seal. Laid it out as was given to you from your 'voice' from heaven."

"I was tricked."

"But you still did it," Azazel pointed out. He pointed at her to emphasize his point and grinned as he said it. "You put everything together, said the spell and poof. And I was freed." He grinned at her as he took a step forward, "And then the look on your face when you realized what had happened… It was much like Sammy now, was it?"

Angela stiffened at that. She had seen the look on Sam's face when he realized that he had been tricked. It was always easier to see you had been duped when the consequences happened. Even when you had people pointing out the truth it was never easy to see. She truly thought she had found a means to keep him sealed in his hole but it was… She pursed her lips as she sought the words to say. Finally she replied, "You're right. I did let you out and since then… I ran."

"What?"

Angela looked at the demon with a slight shrug and a wide look despite the fact that her lip was cut and she had a cut on her forehead. "I ran away. Instead of putting you back in, I ran and you did what you did." She gestured at the demon like it was nothing. "I let you wander free and you created the special children."

"It had to be done."

"Did it really?" Angela started pacing while keeping her eye on the demon. "I mean, yes there is destiny of a sort. We all have some path that we end up following but is it really so black and white?"

"What are you talking about?"

Angela looked at the demon and stood there. She managed to spare a glance at Morpheus. He was just standing there like he was waiting. He did say that he couldn't interfere but he could be a guide of sorts. That she expected of him and was grateful for. She looked back at Azazel and continued, "I mean… yes Lucifer was let out but what was written… it never happened."

"Of course it happened. It was always Sam and he was set on the path because of you."

"No it didn't."

It was like arguing with yourself since this was all in her head but it was so real that it might as well be like it is actually happening. It was working though and Angela kept at it, "Yes, I set you free and you did what you did but in the end… it didn't go out as it was written. I mean… the world didn't burn."

"But Sam still said yes and you did nothing to stop it."

That was true but Angela was not going to let that stand. She knew exactly what happened and why things ended up the way they did. She countered, "Sam said yes but that was his choice." She swallowed slightly since it was painful to admit to. "And I respect that."

"Letting Sam be Lucifer's vessel? You respect that?"

"I don't let people do what they do. They make that choice. I respected Sam's choice."

"No," Azazel replied with a knowing look as he shook his finger at her. He started pacing a little as he said that. "You had something up your sleeve when you did that."

"I knew it didn't work when Sam said yes," Angela admitted. It was the first time she admitted that she knew that things weren't right after Sam said yes to Lucifer. She knew it was Lucifer in control. "I could tell that it wasn't Sam in control and played along with the ruse. I was the back up to getting them both in the cage. That was my plan."

"No it wasn't," Azazel countered. He turned sharply and glared at her. "You had a plan all along."

"No I didn't," she replied with a slight shake of her head. "I was going to let Sam say yes and fight his damnedest to take control."

"But you left yourself a back door." Azazel paused as he watched Angela's reaction. He grinned at her and continued, "You know what I am talking about. Something about trusting you."

 _Sam looked at her with a look of surprise and hurt after he nearly choked and spat out the vial of blood that she had given him. Some of it had dribbled onto his lip but most of it was in his mouth and he ended up swallowing it. She knew that look and why._

 _"Trust me," she said…_

Angela knew that Sam looked at her that way because he remembered the way her blood had tasted to him. She remembered the way he looked at her in that predatory and seductive manner. It didn't scare her in the least with regards to herself and her life. She was scared for Sam since he had little control at the time but it did put a spark of wonder in her mind as to how he really saw her. To her credit and out of respect for his feelings, she never brought it up. Despite everything, she was there with him when he went through his detox.

When she had prepped her blood, she had used a spell. It was an old spell that she had found in one of her books that she had collected over the years. Even though she had made Sam a promise that she wasn't going to poke at the cage to get him out, he didn't make her promise that she wouldn't do anything like follow him in or 'monitor' things as it were. The spell was a blood spell that allowed her already strong connection to be stronger in that she didn't need to be in too close a proximity and didn't need to be unconscious to do it. It was why she was able to talk to Lucifer while he was talking to Sam and why the fallen angel could see her in the mirror.

Looking at Azazel, Angela replied, "I know what you mean but that was never the ruse."

"Please. You made it so you could get into Sam's head and interfere."

"And that is where you are wrong," Angela pointed out. She couldn't stop now. She pushed forward, "I didn't interfere with Sam's ability to fight back. He did that on his own. All he had to know was that me and Dean were never going to leave him; that he wouldn't be alone." She looked at the demon in the eye with a firm look. "That was why Sam was able to take back the wheel. It had nothing to do with me."

"You lie. Everything you touch involves you."

"No. That was all Sam."

It was like a really long standoff as Angela stared at the demon. She didn't know why but it felt important to get that out. She could do a lot of things but she knew deep down that it was Sam that beat the devil at his own game; he was the one that got the devil back in the box. She had nothing to do with it in terms of getting the wheel back. Sam was the one that jumped in and brought Michael down with him. She just followed him in.

"No. You have a direct hand in everything. No matter how hard you try, you always brought those closer to what they were supposed to do."

"I tried but in the end, I did everything. It was their choice to take the path they did. Those that chose the hunt, I gave them the skills to survive. What they did with it… it was all up to them." Angela took a breath and shrugged slightly at Azazel. She looked at the demon as she let the burden of past deaths and people she remembered go.

It was then that the image of Azazel started to fade. He looked at himself and then at her. There was a look of shock on his face that turned into a snarl as he demanded, "What are you doing?"

Angela took a couple of panting breaths as she looked at the demon. She closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths as she relaxed herself. She remembered those she had met and those that struck her profoundly. They all left an impact on her but some more than others and some that she couldn't truly free herself from blame but this was a start. She knew that in the end they all made their choices. She opened her eyes at Azazel and said, "They made their choices. I gave them what they needed to make the choices and those affected by my choices… it was the best I had at the time."

That was all that was needed as Azazel began to fade away. Angela looked up and saw the images from the past that he had used to torment her with looking at her. They were staring at her with blank looks. Some still had looks of anger as they looked at her but they were starting to fade away. She looked back at Azazel and he was still snarling and glaring at her. She didn't expect him to be so close though and the punch that came across her face.

Angela straightened up after the punch and looked at Azazel with a firm look even though her features trembled slightly. It was more from the sting since that punch hurt. She braced herself as the demon grabbed her and slammed her into a wall. She felt his hand on her throat. It wasn't too hard to remember since the demon did the same thing to her but he used his powers in that cemetery. Now it was physical. It wasn't any proof that it was hell since he was just as physical when she first met him. She gritted her teeth slightly from the pressure.

"Are you saying that given the circumstance with what you know now, you would make the same choices? You would have let Sam jump into the pit?"

Angela's throat convulsed as she looked down at the demon since he had raised her off his feet. There were a lot of times she would recount her experiences before and go over all the scenarios. The most recent was with Jo and Ellen. For months afterwards she avoided the Roadhouse leaving Kenny and Mel to run the place and she beat the hell out of Crowley for it. Ellen was more of a mother and Jo was like a little sister and she wanted to protect them and in the end…

 _You do what you have to do ya hear me? You do what you have to do but not at the expense of yourself._

Angela knew that she could tear herself apart trying to come up with how she could do better so that Ellen and Jo were still there. Hell, she had suggested what she hinted at to Dean when his deal was almost due. And it was rejected even though it meant that they would live and she sensed Ellen would have told her to do it but… She closed her eyes and took controlled breaths as she felt Azazel's hands tighten on her neck. They were slowly squeezing the life out of her since there was less and less air filtering into her lungs. She listened to the voices that she remembered from the past, of everyone she knew and loved.

 _I got hunting stories and they were better than those sorry assed fairytales._

 _And you'll be here Mama Ellen?_

 _I'll always be with you._

Angela opened her eyes and looked at the demon, unaware that they were flaring glittering orbs. She narrowed her eyes and gave her answer loud and clear, "Yes."

That was enough to weaken the demon's grip even though he snarled at her. She took her chance and broke the arms away and delivered a hard strike to the chest area. The hands completely released her and the demon fell back. She launched her attack and struck hard to the body and punctuated each strike with a word as she said, "I would do it again."

The last strike sent the demon flying back. She watched as he disappeared before he hit the ground. She looked around and saw her past strays, acquaintances and friends still looking at her. They started fading away. She started breathing normal but it was like she had just run a marathon. She looked around and saw that the last thing to disappear was the younger version of herself.

The girl was staring at her with a bland expression. She stared back and took a couple of steps forward. "Tell him that I said that I am coming for him."

The little girl nodded before disappearing. Angela took a deep breath of relief and rubbed her forehead. She winced from all the sore spots on her face and snorted slightly when she heard Morpheus said, "Now that seems familiar. The whole experience."

Angela merely hummed at that as she looked around and breathed calmly to still the tension. She looked around at the place. The scenery didn't change but the pathway was clear. She didn't like that she had to follow it but if she was to wake up and then get closer to Sam… she was going to have to follow. The unknown this time had her worried and nervous and she didn't like it.

* * *

Sam spat out the blood that was in his mouth. He had never had that much blood in his mouth. It was like when Zachariah made him cough up blood when they tried to rescue Adam and he thought that Dean was going to say yes to be Michael's vessel. He looked at his hands that were placed on the ground and saw the dried blood. It wasn't from anything that he was going through now; he had looked that way since he first woke up here. He saw the injuries that were made to look like scars. He recognized the marking from the meat hooks, the punches to his body and face and the claw marks… it made him wince.

"Sammy!"

Sam looked up and saw the lifeless body of Angela lying not too far away. He felt the choking feeling return in his lungs seeing her like that. Her little eyes were wide open and she was looking at him. He was certain that she was looking at him like how Jess used to look at him when he had his nightmares of her burning on the ceiling after she died. The question was so clear in her eyes.

 _Why Sam?_

"Please don't tell me that's all you got."

Sam looked away and up to see Lucifer, looking just like him but with a bored expression. It made him feel disgusted that he was looking at himself. He knew that it wasn't really him but Lucifer but it didn't make it hurt any less since there were times that he had been disgusted with himself and had him wondering why a beautiful creature like Angela would dare to stick by him, especially what he had done to her. It was as Lucifer had taunted him previously; that it was like staring in a mirror.

Sam looked back at the lifeless body of Angela. She looked so innocent in her four year old body and she was. He glanced over and saw the older one just standing there. He didn't understand why she wasn't doing anything unless it was that crap that went that they couldn't interfere or something like this. He remembered Angela telling him when she was teaching him more about dream walking that the chances of them seeing Morpheus in the flesh so to speak were near to zero; that it was an observed rule to never interfere with the mortals. Other beings did that too or went about doing their jobs and to recruit their help was a bitch to undertake. Maybe that was the case here or it was some sort of crappy ass test.

"Now I've know you got more in you Sam," Lucifer taunted, "That display when I killed her… tells me quite a bit." He then kneeled in front of Sam and added, "Or was that all for show? How long did it take for you to realize how special she was? That sweet piece of tail…"

Sam's face twisted in anger as he reached over and grabbed Lucifer by the collar. With a hard yank, he had his doppelganger on the ground and got to his feet. He huffed as he tried to catch his breath. Glaring down at the devil, he spat, "Do… not… talk… about… her… like that." He was so angry he was taking heaving breaths and in danger of hyperventilating.

Lucifer started chuckling as he pushed himself up. "Now there is the fire that I was missing. Ever since you came down here, you've been a weak pile of piss." He slowly stood up and gave that cocky expression that also gave the impression that he was uninterested and didn't bother to change back to his usual persona. "I mean, Azazel and his gang, they brought you back every time but it was always her that got you going."

Sam looked at the devil, feeling his anger and hatred of the being rise up. He narrowed his eyes and his shoulders were huffing from the breathing he was doing trying to keep himself from going postal. He gritted his teeth before replying, "It was you that tormented her."

"I did nothing," Lucifer replied gesturing towards himself in mocking and innocent fashion. He pointed at Sam, "It was you that caused her to be tormented."

Sam stepped back a little at that but his face didn't change its expression. He could deny it as much as he wanted but he knew that Lucifer had details that he had kept to himself. Like the whole fact that he was seeing himself and it was himself that killed Angela in his nightmares… he never told Angela or Dean about that. He did believe that he had caused her enough suffering with the way he treated her and that she deserved better. She still chose him though.

"I've been in your noggin, Sam," Lucifer taunted. He pointed to his temple and gave the area a tap with his forefinger. "I know that you've had this nightmare for years since before you met her. Of course it had never been the same exact one. It was a different thing every time."

Sam swallowed slightly as he stared at the devil. To deny it would invite ridicule. Acceptance could do the same but it was a little less painful. He replied, "I didn't know who she was when I started having them."

"But you knew that she was important."

"I thought it was another vision," Sam admitted. He looked away slightly as he took a couple of breaths. "It popped up every now and then until the one with the vampire. Then we met."

"And that's where it all started. Or rather it started before that."

Sam looked at the devil looking at him. It was disturbing to see himself looking at him with that knowing look and it was much like the introspective conversations that he had with himself about everything. He was not going to go into all that before they formally teamed up. Besides, everything he knew was a prompting from Angela onto his memories. And it wasn't like he saw her per se anyway. If he did it was always that of a figure or some sort. He did remember one instance and it fed his liking for dogs. He looked at the devil and replied, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't lie to me Sam," Lucifer warned. He took a couple of steps forward and started to circle Sam. "I never did that to you and I expect the same courtesy."

"I'm not lying," Sam countered, "I don't remember meeting her…"

Sam rarely jumped with the sound of loud noises. Mostly it was when Angela snuck up on him to tease him. This time Lucifer stamped his foot and a loud rumble filled the area. It felt like it resonated within his body as Lucifer shouted at him not to lie to him. He took a couple of quick breaths to steady himself and swallowed slightly. "I don't remember," he retorted firmly as he narrowed his eyes at the devil.

"You're lying."

"I'm not. I don't remember seeing her until that first time we met."

Sam glared at Lucifer even when the devil made his memory appear. It was the one where he could remember her since she had shown her face. It was when she rescued him and Dean from that pedophile clown. He remembered when he spent more time with Xander one day. He studied the dog and then it occurred to him. It was random and he dismissed it, hiding it but he accepted it when she brought up memories or Dean did since he had more interaction with her.

"Now is this a memory or just… a vision," Lucifer replied, grinning at Sam. He raised his finger in warning and continued, "Now be careful how you answer that."

Sam paused at that. He knew that in a place that was like the dream realm, within the mind, the rules shifted slightly. Dreams were the result of memories that sifted through the brain. It was how a person negotiated the events of the day. Active dream walking required going through those memories and the best practice was on your own.

Lucifer saw the pause and grinned, "Ah. So you know that everything in your noggin and anyone else's can manifest right here." He gestured everywhere and chuckled at that, "And can be very real." He gestured at the scene that warped. "I mean what would have happened if she hadn't been watching you both?"

That was a question that plagued Sam with that moment. He learned later that it was a pedophile that did terrible things to little boys. It also revealed that Angela was more than just a hunter of the supernatural. She hunted the monsters that were just plain human. That was one of the things that made her beautiful. He looked at Lucifer as he altered the memory to show the pedophile clown and what he would have done. It sent a chill down Sam's spine and he protested, "Stop."

"Or what, Sam?" Lucifer peered at Sam with an inquiring look. "What are you going to do? You like it when I play with you." He advanced towards Sam in the same manner that he had done previously.

Sam tensed and backed up. This was not going to happen again. He held his hands up in protest, "No. Don't."

"Too late Sam," Lucifer replied like it was nothing. "You can't do anything about it."

"Not if I can help it."

* * *

 **A/N:** Looks like Sam and Angie are battling demons and it appears the be the worst fears imaginable. Stay tuned for more Over the Edge...


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Mac looked at the injury to his arm. It was a nasty gash and it was bleeding heavily. It wasn't an artery, which was a good thing but it compromised his ability to help Adam, who was sporting a cut on his brow. At least the kid was holding up and he was impressed that he handled the sword he conjured up pretty good. The kid was getting the hang of this. The problem now was that it seemed that Michael was going to pull out his stops.

Mac knew that it was risky to leave Tsura alone with Angela but he was confident that she would be able to do what she could do without help. Having been raised a hunter all his life, he knew that there were things out there and some required an act of faith especially when it was clear that the person didn't have any malicious intent within them. It was why he refused to do business with some arseholes he knew back on his side of the pond and willfully sent creatures and beings to his homeland and to the Emerald Isle for sanctuary.

Mac knew a few tricks to help and used the warding sigils that were tied to his life. The biggest risk of all with that was that if he died, then the spell was broken. That typically was the trouble when it came to spells, particularly protection spells, that were bound to the life force. Most folks didn't do it especially if they were in a dangerous profession like he was. Hell, he was a soldier and a hunter and both had the risk of an early death and it left the person you were trying to protect vulnerable. There were ways around it but Mac was a hunter, not a librarian or witch for that matter and wasn't exactly number one to use alternative means without it blowing up in his face. It was why he cultivated relationships even though in his civilian line of work that was a hard thing to come by.

The warding sigils he left were the strongest he could conjure without any serious repercussion to himself. Like any practioner, Mac knew that there were consequences associated with spells. Some, the risks were not worth the rewards though he was certain that his friend Angela would say different. He had heard through the grapevine about what she had done to save a boy who had been bitten by a werewolf; what she had done to cure him of lycanthropy. It was a pretty much guaranteed death to the person administering it and yet she had beaten the odds.

Mac had always admired his friend for her courage but he often thought she was foolish when she did her all or nothing acts. He couldn't perceive as to why she would do that to herself but he dwelt on it a lot when he was on tour. In the end he came to the conclusion that she did what she did because she had no ties to this world. Even with all the friendships and relationships she had, there was nothing compelling enough for her to stay. It made her seem selfish but in a way he could understand since she had lived a very long life and looked as good as his Nico did. Now that he had seen her again, he noticed that things were different and it made him glad. It was the only reason she would be here in hell. So he would do what he could to help her even if he and Tsura weren't real.

Looking at the injury, Mac cursed. He could barely lift his arm and it was going to be a pain in the arse. He cursed, "Bloody hell."

"Here."

Mac looked up and saw Adam rip a piece of the shirt he was wearing off to wrap around the injury. It wasn't much but it would do and he nodded, "Aye. Will do. Problem is that I think it will weaken the barrier."

Adam looked up from his work and replied, "Then we better finish this."

"Not arguing there, mate but let's face it: we're against a bloody angel that used you to end the world and is bloody pissed at Angie for ruining things."

Adam shook his head. It was rather interesting to hear Mac talk since he wasn't British but Scottish and the accent using the euphemisms… it was something else. "Who isn't pissed at her?"

"Are you?"

Adam looked up to see Mac looking at him and frowned as he retorted, "No."

"You sure?"

"Yes I'm sure."

"Just asking since you and I both know that she initially came here to find Sam." Mac watched Adam's reaction as he continued, "And she really wasn't thinking about you."

Adam paused a moment as he looked around. They only had a brief reprieve from Michael. He could hear the snarling and barking all around and didn't like the fact that dogs were around. He liked them but when Michael decided to get rough, they were not cute puppies but killers and… He sighed and looked back at Mac, "I'll admit I was a little pissed at that but I get it. She probably thought I was dead and… she loves my brother. But I know she means what she says when she says she would fight to the death for both of us."

Mac studied the younger man and nodded. He approved of that. "That's good. I know she's a bit pig headed on a few things but one thing I can say is that she will never walk away from someone who truly needs help and she won't stop trying even if they say no."

"Tell me about it," Adam replied with a grin as he looked around. He then looked at Mac as he tried to move his arm and gestured at it, "Are you going to be alright?"

"I'm fine," Mac replied as he managed to get his arm moving. "It's not the arm that concerns me but the wards I left when came out here."

"What do you mean?"

"The spell I used is tied to my lifeline. But I'm not the best when it comes to executing a spell like that. If there is any weakness…"

Adam knew that they could be in trouble but… "Tsura will figure out something." At Mac's look he added, "Angie said never to fuck with Romani magic."

Mac couldn't help but chuckle. He knew that was the case with Angela and the woman firmly believed in the power of Romani magic. He had heard the stories too and he wasn't going to disrespect something like that. "I'll agree with that."

At that moment a howl rose up. Mac looked up at the same time Adam did and listened. He knew that howl and he cursed, "Fuck."

"What?"

"Hell hounds," Mac replied.

"We're good right? I mean Cerebus will keep them off us."

"It's not us I'm worried about."

Adam looked in the direction of the cave and asked, "What do you mean?"

Mac winced slightly on his arm. He gritted out, "I warded the place before I left to help you. It's tied to my life." At the look Adam was giving him, he explained, "As long as I'm alive, the wards should still be in place. The bad news mate is that I am not very good with a spell like this."

"So Tsura could be in trouble?" Adam looked at Mac who was trying to get to his feet.

"A possibility but Tsura can handle it. Like I said Romani magic and the other wards will hold out as long as they are not ruined." Mac got to his feet and kneeled. He checked his arm and took a couple of breaths. "Look, you make a run for the cave. I'll take care of the dick with wings."

Adam looked at Mac as he gripped the blade that had been conjured and stood ready to head out. He put his hand on Mac's arm. "What about you?"

Mac grinned, "Got it covered mate. I've got no intention of going too soon." He patted Adam's arm and said, "Help Tsura. Remember if anything happens to Angie's body here…"

"She won't have a place to come back to, right." Adam got to his feet and turned in the direction of the cave. "Got it."

"Hey, do what you have to do and…"

"Don't underestimate Romani magic." Adam grinned at that and let out a chuckle.

"I meant not to underestimate Angie."

Adam nodded in agreement. He hadn't known the woman for long but she surprised him at times when he least expected it. She would go one way and then execute a one eighty and head the other way. It had done wonders to keep them a step ahead of Michael and Lucifer. It was a small step but it worked and Adam preferred to look at the positives. He patted Mac on the shoulder to wish him luck and waited for the signal.

Mac knew that he was severely at a disadvantage with a clipped wing but he was a soldier. He was trained to keep going. If he could pick up a weapon and shoot, then he was still fit for duty. It was the one thing that had his Nico scold him for but it was never that bad since she was the same way and that was how they met and bonded.

Standing up he gripped the sword and looked around for Michael. He couldn't see the archangel anywhere so that meant he had to seek him out. That was not something he looked forward to but sometimes you had to do what you had to do to get your man. He held it ready and started making his way forward, slowly and checking his corners. It was awkward without a gun but he made it work and he had to buy Adam time to get to the cave.

He rounded a corner when he was flung off his feet and flung into a rock wall. He grunted from the force but he managed to not drop the sword. He landed on the ground with a thud and put his hand down to right himself up. He looked up to see Michael standing there with a blade in his own hand and looking at him with an impassive look.

Mac got to his feet and wiped the blood from his lip. He chuckled a bit, "Thought I'd find you here."

Michael shook his head at Mac. "I don't understand."

"What do you mean?" Mac didn't have to ask the question but each moment he spent distracting Michael was another moment for Adam to bring Tsura the help she might need against the hell hounds. It was risky since hell hounds were not easily killed. He was confident they would find a way and in turn it would buy time for Angela to wake up and they would continue onward. He looked at Michael with a raised brow.

"I don't understand why you would do anything for her."

"Her?"

"Don't play dumb." Michael retaliated with a swiping gesture. He sent Mac flying back into the wall and watched as the man grunted from the pain and then got up again. "Why would you risk your life for someone who eventually throw you aside? Never see again?"

Mac grunted as he staggered to his feet. That second one hurt twice as much as the first. He really pissed off the angel now but it was all part of the plan. He adjusted his grip on the blade and winced when the pain shot up his arm. There was a purpose to the angel's questions. The obvious was trying to find a means to get to Angela and that was the countermeasure he was trying to achieve. The other reason was that the angel truly didn't understand human behavior.

"Why?"

Mac looked at the angel and took a breath, "Maybe because she's so pretty." He took a couple of gasping breaths and continued, "And maybe that she is more than you give her credit for your limey bastard."

"But why? She's not the kind to stick around. It's save the day, move on and she never hesitates to use a pawn."

"Sounds like you know a lot more than you admit to about her," Mac countered as he straightened up. "And you don't like it that she would risk everything to save one person in spite of the dangers to your greater good." He heaved a slight chuckle as he wiped his lip. It turned into a slight laugh. "Man, you angels really are stupid."

"And you are nothing but a mud monkey."

"Oh that is rich." Mac twirled his blade, "Come on. You know you want to fight me so just get to it." He opened his arms to leave himself wide open. The bandage was clear on his arm but he gave indications that he didn't care even though that wasn't the case.

"You're injured and you still want to fight."

"It's what I am"

The attack came fast. Mac tensed up and brought his blade up to defend himself. This was going to be probably one of the hardest fights he was going to be in. He prayed that he would make it through.

* * *

Lucifer looked down at the prostrate body. He nudged it with his toe and took perverse pleasure in knowing that Sam was feeling it where he was at. It was actually going pretty well. Neither had woken up so soon. Rather it seemed that both were stuck there wherever it was, like there was something that needed to be done. He didn't care though. It was giving him more time to do what he wanted to Sam and convince his little pretty to keep coming. But it was boring since there was no reaction.

Being in Sam's head was fun. He knew that he was playing on Sam's worst fears when he made himself look like the younger Winchester and then the touch with her looking so little… so helpless; it was actually satisfying. He knew she was strong in the sense of the word and even more than that. Seeing her as a child brought out a different side. At least he saw that with Sam, the way he reacted to her. It was confirmed when he held onto the little girl and then like nothing snapped her neck.

Sam reacted as expected. He always liked that fire in Sam's belly, how angry he would get. This was what he wanted when he taunted the younger Winchester in Carthage and then later when he removed the gag. Of course anything Lucifer had done to Angela was met with the most violent and fierce responses Lucifer had seen from him. Of course it was to be expected since he knew more than what anyone suspected the real reason.

As much as it was tempting to kill her and kill Sam, Lucifer knew that it was only going to serve the purpose of pissing off Michael. He couldn't forget how big brother told him to stop even though he almost did the same thing to her. Then again she was not as weak as they thought she was. She surprised him at times at least from the whispers from Azazel and his gang. The fact that she got herself free from Michael and then how she set everything up so she was here…

Looking down at Sam's body Lucifer grinned at it and said, "You have no idea what a treasure you have do you? No idea of the beauty and power held in that frame."

There was no response and Lucifer didn't expect one. If he wanted one, he needed to go into the place Sam and her mind were at. He toed Sam's body and watched the arms flop around before kneeling over and peeling one of Sam's eyelids open. He watched the pupil react to the light but there was no response as expected.

As he tried to explain to Michael, the last round had been too much and Sam ended up retreating to a place that would protect him. It also had the same effect for her because of the feedback between the pair. So they were both stuck and Michael was out trying to get her body and the other one, the lesser Winchester who wasn't even a Winchester. He just hoped his brother didn't get too carried away and do something that would probably kill her.

"You won't believe what I know about her, Sammy," Lucifer murmured as he let the lid close and opened the other. It was tempting to eye gouge since he would fix it later but there was no point to it. Too messy and too… human though he knew that Angela could do it and in the most gruesome of ways and cement her reputation in the same act. He opened the other lid and watched the pupil react. At least he wasn't comatose or whatever the expression was. "The things she is and still beautiful after all this time."

Lucifer let the lid close and looked at the body. He poked at some of the softer parts just for the hell of it. "She's a lot older than you think. And there are a few things about you."

Lucifer stood up and paced around. He glanced at the prone body and then around the area that served as a prison while he had his fun with Sam. He noted the meat hooks and a bunch of other 'toys' he had used. Maybe it was a little trite and could get boring but he got creative with a few things. And boy did he have fun when he got creative. But he was saving his best for her when she finally made it to him. Then that's when the real fun would begin.

He never doubted that she would come. Her one reason was lying at his feet. While it pissed him off greatly that Sam was her motivation, he still was able to milk the situation for what it was worth. And it was true that he knew more about her than Sam or Dean could possibly know. He knew more than she knew of herself and that was why he wanted her to come to him. By coming to him, she was willingly going to walk through the door and learn a few things. But first he had to get her to come and to do that, he needed to be where the action was. Sighing, he took a breath and went back to work.

The scene was still grubby. Of course it would be. It was one of Sam's most persistent nightmares and while the bogeyman changed depended on if it was related to a past experience or a foretelling of the future, it still had the same effect. It was actually one of Lucifer's favorites because he knew that he could cripple Sam emotionally and mentally with all of the possibilities. Hell, once he had her, that brought a whole new level of torture and he found himself grinning slightly in anticipation of that moment.

Walking around, his feet plopped in puddles in the street left by the rain. He grinned at the fact that the lifeless body of the little girl was still lying on the ground. Sam was trying to get up but couldn't. If this were topside, more likely he was sporting broken ribs and maybe a broken limb. As it were, Lucifer thought Sam got off pretty light despite the fact he was sporting bruises that gave him swollen shut eyes and cuts and bruises that looked worse than what they really were. Off to the side was the adult version.

She hadn't moved after he had thrown her into one of the buildings. He shook his head as he walked over to look at the body. He muttered, "Weak."

"Not weak."

Lucifer turned towards Sam. He watched as Sam struggled to get up from the ground. He chuckled as Sam stumbled slowly getting to his feet. He shook his head slightly at that. "You really don't get it do you?"

"I get that you are trying to get Angie to come to you. She's too smart for that."

Lucifer had to admit that he had always liked Sam. He was the smarter one when it came to doing things though he had to admit when they came charging through his front door that was pretty stupid but her… She was the smart one. She was the one that waited until the last possible moment before launching her plan to have Sam take control. That was the beauty he remembered. It was a pity that she didn't remember.

"She did nothing to get us here."

Lucifer looked at Sam with a piercing look. They might be able to say otherwise but she was the mastermind of the entire thing. She was the one that kept all the cards close to the vest and then sprung her trap. She was the one. "That's where you're wrong, Sam. You know as well as I that she is the one who truly is in control."

It was disturbing to hear Sam chuckle like a mad man. Lucifer looked at the man as he managed to get to his feet. His eyes narrowed as he studied the younger Winchester. He really should do something about the bloody face but then it wouldn't produce enough of the effect that he wanted.

"I beat you. She didn't let me do anything."

"And what makes you think that? Do you really know her?" Lucifer peered at Sam. Having had enough of the bloodied look he snapped his fingers. Instantly Sam was healed. That was better and he could do it all over again later. "What do you really know?"

"That she isn't like that."

Lucifer watched as Sam moved towards the downed body of the adult version. That was interesting. Seemed that Sam accepted that he couldn't do anything for the little one but he could do something for the other one. He repeated his early assessment, "As I thought. Weak."

"She isn't weak."

Lucifer snorted at that, "Of course the real one isn't weak. She is magnificent." He gestured at the moaning body and added, "This one… weak. Not even halfway to its potential."

"What do you mean?"

Lucifer really couldn't believe that Sam asked that question. He should have understood by now what people have been telling him. "You do know that is not her, do you?" He pointed at the moaning body that was starting to wake up and become aware of what was going on.

"She is the part of her that is mine."

It was an automatic response that it had Lucifer believing that he really didn't know what it meant in the larger scheme of things. "Do you even know what that means?"

"No."

"He wouldn't."

Lucifer looked at the one that looked like her. She was back on her feet and she looked like she was ready to fight again. Well at least that made things easier in the long run. He looked at her and said, "And what did you tell him?"

"Exactly what he said."

Lucifer looked at Sam and asked, "And did you know that there is more to this?"

"Probably," Sam replied with a shrug. "Doesn't matter at this point. So why don't you get to it? You healed me up so that means you want to do more."

Lucifer looked at Sam. This was like his kamikaze act when he came to say yes. That meant that there was something more. Well he had something to back that up. He smirked, "Maybe so. But you aren't the only one that is going to have fun with me here." He snapped his fingers and laughed when he saw Sam realize that he was stuck in a cage and being gripped by meat hooks and pulling him taut. The one that looked like her was strung up the exact same way. "Now you just hang there while I make sure one last member of the party is here."

"You sonofabitch!"

Lucifer didn't look back as he continued to walk out. The scenery had changed to a new and improved torture chamber. "Cry all you want Sammy. I'm gonna have both of you and all of you."

* * *

 **A/N:** Mac is trying to hold off Michael and Lucifer is bored playing with a comatose body so he goes back to torture Sam's consciousness. Stay tuned for more Over the Edge...


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"You know this part. To get through, you need the key."

Angela stared at the doppelganger of herself. She remembered this very well and she cursed the fact that her old mentor and Delilah put her through it. Well she cursed and thanks them for it. She said, "I know. This is facing myself. And the key is you."

"Well," the doppelganger shrugged, "That is the case." She smiled at Angela and Morpheus, "But you know this isn't a normal dreamscape."

Angela took a breath as her expression turned pensive. She winced from the bruising that her body had suffered from Azazel and people she had known from the past before the Winchesters. After that last battle, it was like what she and Adam went through with Mac and Tsura the last few weeks, months… she wasn't sure.

This wasn't a dreamscape. Those were intended to guide the person. It was a reflection of the past and present and in turn helped to guide the traveler in the direction they chose for the future. This was more like a funhouse of nightmares. It was a culmination of assumptions, the truth, lies, and they were twisted into the darkest things imaginable that were designed to grate on the psyche. It was Morpheus' world yes but he had no power here unless the rules were broken and Lucifer wasn't brazen enough to break them. There were things that even he wouldn't do out of fear of the cosmic consequences. She couldn't count on it though.

The doppelganger looked at Angela with a slight smile. She tapped her temple and said, "I know what you're thinking. You're thinking about the fact that this isn't a true dreamscape meaning that the rules can be bent and you're thinking of a way to get to the one thing that you are here for." The doppelganger shook her head and added, "So selfish."

Angela had a sharp intake of breath at that comment. Her teeth were clenched together as she looked at her double. "I don't know…"

"Don't lie," the doppelganger replied with a raised finger in warning. She paced in front of Angela giving that smile that meant she probably had one up on her. "You can't lie to yourself."

"Actually…"

"Shut up."

Angela winced when the doppelganger snapped at Morpheus. Of all the times for him to get technical. Still it was welcome in a small way. She couldn't help but hum a small chuckle.

"What are you laughing at? It's your fault and problem that you're here in the first place," the doppelganger pointed at Angela to make a point. "You were the one that willingly jumped in. You wanted this hell hole."

Angela sighed slightly at that, "I did jump in by choice. And it is my choice to get what I came for." She started walking forward.

Angela didn't get very far when a hand was pressed against her chest and she was pushed back a little. She took a step back and looked at her double, her eyes narrowing slightly. Her body tensed up, ready to defend herself as she glared at her double.

"You know the rules. You need the key."

"And the key is you or rather me," Angela replied with a slight eye roll. She started move forward and gave her double a shove to the side, "So move out of my way. I don't want to be in this nightmare any longer than necessary. She tapped Morpheus to get him to follow her.

She was barely a few feet away when she felt like she was yanked off her feet but not before she heard, "You are not finished here!"

Angela had received a few blows to the body and the head. Some from working with the Winchesters and some before them and those were the ones she didn't voice since she knew what a pair of worrywarts the two brothers were. Plus Sam gave her that look that seemed to bore into her soul when he was extremely concerned. This was the motherlode though. The back of her head slammed into the ground so hard that it bounced. She could feel her limbs scrape the ground as she rolled to land on her side.

"I told you, you aren't finished."

Angela curled on her side and moaned. She had an arm wrapped protectively around her waist even though her head was pounding and looked up. She could see Morpheus had disappeared or rather was doing his can't interfere thing of the gods. She shifted her attention to her double as she loomed above her. She twisted her lip to keep the grimace from coming forth and choked out, "You really don't want to do this."

"Oh don't I?"

Angela felt the hands grab her ankle. She tried to reach for the pair of hands but she was yanked hard. She felt her body flying through the air and her side collided with a column that seemed to appear out of nowhere. She grunted from the pain but she didn't have time to collect her wits since she was once again flying through the air and she hit something that she was sure was either marble or granite. Like it mattered and it was hard enough to shatter the block.

"What are you going to do about it?"

Angela grunted as she tried to regain her balance and sit up but her ankle was still being held. She barely started to sit up when she was pulled. She reached out to grab anything for purchase but at there was were rock chunks. She managed to grab one and tried to twist to look forward. She managed to and threw her rock and managed to hit the doppelganger. That allowed for her ankle to be released and give her a few moments to breathe. She turned over and began to crawl to put some distance between her and the doppelganger. She couldn't quite get to her feet but she would move as necessary.

"Always trying to find a way out."

The new voice had her pause and that ended up being her downfall. She felt a pair of hands on her hips and she was yanked upwards and flung away. She collided with something and she felt something snap. She cried out in pain from the injury as the debris crumbled around her. She landed hard on her side and rolled over. She gritted her teeth in pain as she curled up and tried to assess the damage that was done to her body.

Her arms were okay since she could move them. They were covered with scrapes, bruises and dried blood. It was typical of being in a fight and she had plenty of those. She felt her torso and winced. She thought there was a couple of bruised, maybe broken… nothing that she hadn't had before. It was when she tried to move her legs that was where the pain came from.

There was only one time that she had felt that severe of pain. Actually twice. The first was when the limb was broken and the second was when it had been set. Her eyes expanded when she felt the sharp pain and looked down at her leg. It was even the same one that had been broken. She pulled herself into a sitting position to look at her leg. Her lip trembled as she gingerly moved her broken leg to assess and quite possibly to set it so she could keep moving. Inwardly she cursed the fact that Morpheus was sticking to his thing.

"What's the matter? Didn't expect this?"

Angela looked up and saw her doppelganger standing there and next to the one being that she had pissed off one too many times. She huffed slightly as she tried to put herself in a position that would allow her not to show that she was weak. She managed to get to her feet but she couldn't put weight on her broken leg. Instead she hopped to gain her balance and stood up to face them head on. She replied, "This is hell and this is your part of the Cage, Lucifer. I know this is your playground. So yes I expected it."

Lucifer looked at her with a piercing look as he stared at the defiance that was coming from Angela. Even with a broken leg, she was still being defiant about everything. "I knew you had it all figured out. Your plan from the beginning."

Angela looked at the devil. He was still operating under the delusion that she had planned everything since the beginning. She shook her head even though she was in pain and replied, "There was no plan Lucifer. I didn't plan for any of this."

"Don't lie to me."

Angela felt an intense pain in her chest. It felt like her innards were being crushed. It had her bowled over but she refused to drop to her knees. She gripped her middle as if trying to dull the pain. She felt the familiar tang in her mouth and spat out the blood that was pooling in her mouth. "I… didn't… orchestrate… this." She punctuated each breath with a word since it was painful.

Lucifer was tired of this and sighed. It was the signal for the doppelganger to move. He watched as the double walk up and grab Angela by the throat and lift her up. He could tell she was still feeling the pain from him twisting up her insides. "Angela… you know as well I that you don't always tell everything to everyone."

"Maybe when I'm actually planning battle tactics," Angela retorted as she wrapped her hands around the hand around her neck. Had she been at a hundred percent capacity, she would have kicked her double and gone to fighting. She had fought with a broken limb before like a broken arm or a bone in the wrist and broken ribs but she knew that she wasn't going to get far if she used her legs. The break was bad.

"Please, you always have contingency planned. It's what you do. You can't live without it." Lucifer took a couple of steps forward. He raised his brow and queried, "Why won't you tell the truth?"

"I am telling the truth," Angela choked out. She spat out some bits of blood. She watched as it sprayed on the face of the doppelganger. There was no reaction as expected. Then again that was the part of her that didn't have empathy, no mercy for those that stood in her way; it was the dark side of her from the years she spent torturing demons and letting a reputation of badassery take over. No fear, no emotion… that was the requirements of a person who needed to get the job done. "I didn't plan any of this."

"You are LYING!"

That was the first time that Angela had been shouted at by Lucifer. Most of the time he was just in her face and making her writhe in pain or smacking her around. She gritted her teeth as she winced in pain and stared at the angry fallen angel. "I am not."

"LIAR!"

Angela couldn't help but help when she was thrown aside and she landed on something. It jabbed at her middle as she rolled on the ground. She felt pain in her leg as it banged on the ground. It jarred it pretty well. Her body stretched out as she came to a stop from her roll. Her instinct was to curl onto herself but she felt too tired to move. She barely had time to breath when she felt a kick against her ribs.

"Tell the truth."

"I did," Angela spat as the blood sprayed out of her mouth. She curled over onto herself to avoid another painful blow and grunted from the pain.

The blows stopped and Angela felt Lucifer's breath on her face. She wasn't looking at him but she could hear his voice. It said, "If you won't tell me, then tell someone who you would."

Angela felt herself being rolled over and saw Sam and… it looked like her and she frowned in puzzlement. Her vision was getting blurry from the pain. Her focus turned to Sam and saw him fighting his bindings. They looked like meat hooks and they were dug in deep in his flesh. She let out a few breaths and repeated, "I didn't plan anything. I decided."

Lucifer grabbed her hair and held her so she was looking right at Sam. He growled, "Are you telling me that you just decided to follow Sam into this hellhole? Why?" When he didn't get a response, he jarred her by yanking on her hair. "Why?" He demanded it louder.

Angela heard the voice but she wasn't paying attention to it. She was looking at Sam. She saw the look on his face. He was angry and trying to get free to help her. She heard him screaming at Lucifer and she heard the devil's voice but they were warbles in her ears. It was distorted. She whispered, "I choose you, Sam."

 _It's okay Angie. I'm here._

* * *

Sam grunted in pain from the meat hooks digging into his shoulder and other parts of his body. It had him wonder how Dean felt when he was under Alistair's knife. It was quickly gone when the lines became taut and it had him grimace in pain. He pulled his focus upwards and saw that he wasn't where he had been previously. He opened his eyes wider to better see where he was at and noticed that his companion that looked like Angela was there beside him. She didn't have meat hooks on her but she was chained up… like when he found her when she had been kidnapped.

It wasn't the same since she was awake and looking at her chains with a curious expression. So he knew that it wasn't the real Angela. This was going to mess with his head more than Lucifer's torture. He looked at her and asked, "You okay?"

"Curious," was all she said.

"Um… why do you think…?" There was no real good way for him to ask that. It was kind of like trying to explain something to Kesset or Castiel.

"Just is," she replied, "I'm not the one that drives the bus. It's the other me."

Sam made a slight face at that. He shifted to look forward. He tried moving and felt the meat hooks tug at his flesh. He winced and tried not to cry out since it was painful. It seemed like every time he moved it pulled. He was going to have to minimize his movements if he didn't want his flesh ripped out again and he really couldn't move to grab the chains to ease the suffering. But he might have to in order to get free and find his Angela.

He was in the middle of thinking about what to do when he heard a noise. He looked up and saw what looked like Angela flying through the air and into something made of stone. She was then approached by someone and it was… He blinked rapidly as he saw another Angela but this one was different. She looked like a demon version. There was a shadow about her that reeked of darkness and it actually scared Sam as he watched that version beat up his girl. He gritted his teeth and when the dark version grabbed her by the throat, he couldn't help but cry out, "Angie!"

He saw Lucifer appear and he saw the devil glance at him and give him a grin. Sam glared back and jerked against his bindings even though it tore at him. He watched as Angela spat blood out. She was then flung aside and he watched as she landed. It was then that he noticed the awkward hold of her leg and realized that it had been broken. His throat convulsed as he tried to pull himself free. It was tormenting since he was pulling and his flesh was ripping and it was painful.

"If you won't tell me, then tell someone who you would."

Sam paused in what he was doing and looked up to see Angela being rolled to look at him. He saw the look of recognition on her face. It told him that they could see each other and this wasn't one of Lucifer's cruel jokes to torment him. He could tell that she was in pain and he was powerless to do anything. It tore at him and it seemed that Lucifer knew that.

"I didn't plan anything. I decided."

Sam watched as she looked defiantly at Lucifer. He knew she was in pain and she wasn't going to give up so easily. He had seen it before when she challenged Zachariah and the bastard shattered her left side from the hip down. It was a wonder she had been able to get herself to a propped position. Now she was doing it again and she wasn't unnerved when Lucifer grabbed her hair.

"Are you telling me that you just decided to follow Sam into this hellhole? Why?"

Sam watched as she looked at him. He saw she was starting to fade. The only way she would fade that fast is that she was in a lot more pain than she had let on. He watched as Lucifer jerked her head and forced her to look at him. The grip on her face put Lucifer in a position to break her neck. What got him was that she wasn't resisting at all.

It was then that Sam realized that Lucifer didn't understand why she was there. It baffled him too since he had asked her not to go poking at the cage to get him out. It must be equally baffling to Lucifer since she never revealed an ulterior motive nor tried to fight back when Lucifer had been driving the bus. There was no plan. It was as she said and that she was going to be there for him and let him do all the fighting.

"No answer?"

Sam looked up and saw Lucifer yank on Angela's hair. Her teeth gritted and she let out a slight moan before she got a punch across the face. He jerked at his bindings, ignoring his pain. He watched as she tried to get away but was grabbed by her double and it was on the bad leg. The sound she made from pain had him struggle harder and he shouted, "Damn you Lucifer!"

That caused Lucifer to look up and mock him, "What's the matter Sam? You want to be going through this?"

Sam watched as Angela was dragged by her broken leg by her double. She was roughly released and he glared with hatred and anger at the devil as he heard Angela moan in pain. He watched as she moved her arms to try and gain purchase and probably not an attempt to escape but to help him out. He spat out what he said when Lucifer took the gag off, "I'm going to tear you apart."

Lucifer grinned at him and then shook his finger in a taunting manner. "Now there's the anger that I know." He walked over to where Angela was and gave a kick to her middle. "Or is it that you know the truth behind her deception."

"She never lied," Sam gritted out. He pulled harder despite the pain when Lucifer kicked her once again. "Not to me."

"Don't lie to me like she does," Lucifer warned as he moved towards Sam. "Remember I saw everything. I know that you were angry that she knew about Madison. Your parents. Jess."

Sam didn't say anything but his lip quivered slightly. He couldn't deny his initial reaction was anger, especially with Madison and Jess. But he wasn't angry anymore. It wasn't a betrayal as Lucifer was trying to make it seem to be. But he knew that it still weighed heavily on Angela. She still felt guilt for those things, especially Jess.

 _I couldn't move, Sam. I watched as Brady killed her and I couldn't move._

He understood that feeling well especially when it concerned Angela. He felt helpless when she had been taken and then beaten and stabbed and he was left with looking and chasing leads that could have panned out to nothing. His throat convulsed as he looked at Angela as she managed to get to her hands and knees and push herself up. No one was paying attention to her. It gave him the idea to distract them and allow her to gain an advantage. He looked at the devil and said, "I was angry at first but I'm not anymore."

Sam watched as Lucifer scoffed at that. It was like the devil didn't believe him and it was confirmed when Lucifer snorted, "I refuse to believe that is the truth. Especially from you, Sam. And I told you not to lie to me."

"I'm not lying," Sam protested as he pulled on his bindings. He heard the other Angela struggling too but it was more subdued, like a patient hunter. That was the version that could be scary but he and Dean were always grateful to have to watch their backs. "I was angry but not anymore. I get why she did what she did."

"Not very convincing Sam."

"It's true." Sam glanced at Angela and noticed how slow she was getting up. He needed to keep it up. "I get what she did and… it doesn't matter."

"Are you saying that…"

Sam jerked when he saw Lucifer made a swiping motion and jerked Angela off her feet. He knew that it wasn't good for her leg and swallowed slightly and shouted in protest. He watched as Lucifer slammed her hard into the floor in front of him. He watched as her dark double march up, kneel and grab Angela by the hair and jerk her head up so she was looking at him.

"Are you saying that this lying bitch's crimes don't matter?"

Sam looked at Angela. He could see that she was fading and fast. He had to do something. He told the truth, "It doesn't because… I love her."

It felt like a loud silence as Sam's words seem to hang in the air. He knew that it was probably the final nail in his coffin in terms of being tortured. He looked at Lucifer who was staring at him with a raised expression and shifted to look at Angela. She was looking at him with a wide eyed look as if to ask him if he meant it. He looked at her and swallowed before saying truthfully, "Always and forever."

The slight smile on her face confirmed she heard and got his meaning. He looked up at the devil and gave a silent and defiant look. It pissed Lucifer off though and Sam felt himself being jerked forward and the hooks tore into him and he felt his flesh being torn, like the holes were being stretched. He grunted out loud. He grunted out more when he was flung backwards and it felt like his body was sagging and added more pressure to the wounds on his body. He looked up and saw Angela being yanked up by her hair and the intentions were clear. He pulled against his restraints. Not caring that it was going to do more damage to his body. He had to get free and help her. He called out, "Don't. Angie!"

"I choose you, Sam."

It was a whisper but Sam heard it. He knew it was her way of saying what she had been scared to say for a long time. He felt the tears start to well up in his eyes. It was clear that she was going to be beaten some more and it could kill her. At least she wouldn't be alone. He voiced, "Don't worry, Angie. I'm here for you."

Lucifer gave a nasty chuckle as he held up his hand, clearly indicating that he was going to snap his fingers. Sam took in deep breaths as he looked at the devil in the eye. The moment the fallen angel snapped his fingers, he cried out, "No!"

* * *

 **A/N:** Sam and Angie are in a jam. Could this be the end to an eternity of torture? Find out next time on Over the Edge...


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Adam managed to make it back to the cave. He didn't like the idea of leaving Mac behind to fight Michael. As far as he was concerned, it was his problem since the angel used him as a vessel and was forcibly removed from him… It was no doubt that the angel was pissed and trying to do everything to get him back and from the looks of things hurting Angela as well. But he had to protect Angela's body until she snapped out of it.

He came to the entrance and noted that it was not warded like Mac said it would. He realized that with Mac's injury, it weakened it and there was something inside. It was confirmed when he heard the low growls that were similar to what Cerebus made when he was on the hunt for his prey. It was enough to make him pause since he realized that there were two hell hounds in there. He pressed himself against the wall next to the entrance.

He knew that hell hounds kept at you once they had your scent. That was the number one thing that Angela warned him about when she explained about Cerebus. So that meant he had to be accurate and kill them before they got him. He didn't want to think about it but he was also worried about Tsura and Angela. They were in the same place as the hell hounds. That meant that they could be dog chow and that meant failure on his end. It was enough to make him sick to his stomach.

Pressing against the wall, Adam thought about his plan of attack. He listened to the noise that the hell hounds were making. They weren't the sound of dogs ravaging a body. Rather it was a quiet growl, like when Cerebus caught the scent of someone who was after them. It was low and angry… like they were frustrated that they couldn't get at their target. That meant that Tsura did something to stave off the attack. That meant it bought him some time to come up with a plan.

Adam shifted to peer in and take a look at the situation. He blinked at the sight since he wasn't sure if his eyes were playing tricks on him or it was the product of the weirdness that he had been introduced to by his brothers coming to a head and introducing something new to him. He wasn't sure that he was seeing the right thing so he leaned in a little more but still within position of the entrance to pull back so he wasn't seen. It wouldn't help if they caught his scent but at least it made him feel better and it helped.

He saw Tsura sitting on the ground in sans position like the yoga instructors or hippie folk. Her hands where placed on her knees, the palms cupping them. In front of her was some shallow hole and there was some smoke coming out. He thought he could smell herbs but he wasn't sure. He was more focused on Tsura as she was chanting something and her eyes were open but she was looking at the things she was trying to keep out like she could see them.

Angela had told him that it was rare to see that what couldn't be seen. Most often it was those that were dead or dying that could see things like reapers, spirits and hell hounds. She was the exception though. Adam thought it odd that she had been able to see these things ever since she first died and came back. From what Angela told him, the living couldn't. Maybe sense them on occasion but she could see them as plain as day and admitted that when she was younger, she almost killed herself because she thought she was going insane. On the upside she told him that he should be glad he couldn't see Cerebus' true appearance because, according to her, they were ugly bitches.

Sighing Adam leaned against the wall and looked at his gear. He knew that Tsura was keeping the hell hounds at bay but she wasn't invulnerable. Like Mac, she could become exhausted. When that happened, they were fair game. That meant he had to act and fast but not be stupid about it. He looked at what he had in his hand. A blade was better than nothing and it was silver. He had been told, when in doubt, have iron or silver handy and you kill it by chopping the head off and set fire to it. That's how it usually worked. In this case… He didn't look forward to what he had to do.

He leaned forward to peek in and checked on Tsura. She was still doing her thing and the hell hounds seemed concentrated on her. It gave him a chance to look behind her and that was where he spotted Angela's body. It still like a dead body and it made him worry. He also noted that there appeared to be bruising on the limbs that he could see and he saw a bruise on her face that wasn't there before. Things must be going bad wherever she was and it was like Mac said, it was happening to her body. He had to act and they had to move on to keep Michael off of their tail.

Peering once more, Adam was about to make her move when something bumped his arm. He jumped and turned to hit whoever it was that snuck up on him when he stopped. He sighed in relief and put his hand on Cerebus' head. "You scared me, boy."

Cerebus gave a slight moan and bumped Adam's hand before turning his attention to the entrance to the cave. His throat issued a low growl and it told Adam that he had caught the scent of the two hell hounds. He was not going to try and figure that out since they were in a place where not everything was real. It was too confusing and it could break your head if you let it. Instead, Adam patted Cerebus on the shoulder since the hell hound was huge and held his blade ready and said, "Looks like its you and me. You take the bigger one."

Cerebus harrumphed at that and lowered himself to prepare to move. Adam patted the mutt's shoulder and gestured for him to move on. Once Cerebus moved, he followed. They had a small distance to cross but it could work. He kept an eye on Cerebus to know which one he was after and tried to track the other one. He paid attention to the movements like the stirring of dirt. He thought he was doing something right and thought he had the drop on it but then he heard it.

The growl came from behind and it had Adam thinking about those horror movies where the guy thought he was in the clear but the thing was actually behind him. He knew that the hell hound was behind him and he felt the urge to start panting but that would make him want to hyperventilate. He couldn't do that but given the close proximity… he was going to be dead no matter what he did. He decided to turn and take a look even though he wouldn't be able to see anything.

The breath was noxious and he could understand why Angela said that they typically stank of death and decay. The breath was enough to dissolve living skin if given enough concentration. That was if they didn't tear you apart first. And it looked like he was going to get torn apart. Taking deep breaths, Adam turned towards the source of the breath and heard the low growling and knew that it wasn't Cerebus.

It was a tense moment as Adam stared at the air but he knew he was staring at the hellhound in the eyes or at least some part of its ugly ass body. He prayed that it wasn't the eyes because, if they were anything like real dogs, they would take that as a challenge and would attack. But he couldn't help himself and stared straight ahead. His fingers tightened on the hilt of the blade he had. Even if he got a swipe out, hell hounds moved faster than humans and…

Swallowing, Adam decided to take a chance. He made ready and took a swipe just as the growl turned unto a slight roar. He made contact with something since he heard the yelp. That meant that he hit the hell hound and it allowed him to get out of the way. He wasn't in the clear yet though since the yelping was followed by growling and near barking and growling and snapping. He wheeled to try and get a sense for where the hell hound was when he heard a yelp and the unmistakable sound of dogs fighting. He recognized Cerebus' growl and knew that the hell hound was in the fight. The other one…

Adam turned to see the other one heading towards Tsura. She was looking in the direction of the hell hound and looking terrified but also strangely calm. He could see her throat convulsing in nervousness and fear. He moved to get into position and kept an eye on the dirt since that was how he could tell that the hell hound was moving. He could also see the blood from where he had hit it previously. He held up his blade and moved to intercept the hell hound. It was a big risk that he was taking since he was the only person that was real.

The hell hound launched itself at Tsura even though she had a ward up around her and Angela. Adam saw Tsura's eyes widened slightly. It was not a pleasant experience to be mauled. Well he wasn't mauled but he had been killed by ghouls. And that wasn't a good experience. He remembered it even when he had been brought back by the angels to do what they wanted him to do. Adam didn't think but reacted.

He ended up dropping the blade and charged at the hell hound. He couldn't see it but he anticipated. It was as stroke of luck as he launched himself forward and grabbed the hell hound around its middle. With the speed and momentum, the basically blocked the hell hound as he grabbed it. They collided with the ground and rolled across the ground. Adam released the hell hound in the process and rolled on the ground. He rolled to a stop on his stomach and looked up where the ground appeared matted. He could tell the hell hound was there and there was dark goo that was its blood.

The hell hound moaned and growled as it rolled to its feet. Adam knew that he was next on the menu. He heard a high pitched whine and glanced over to see Cerebus leap away but limping. It had him blink in surprise since he had known Cerebus to be the toughest one on the team. He tore apart his enemies like they were tissue paper. Now… He watched as Cerebus was knocked down and it was obvious that the hell hound had him in a throat grip and going for the kill. He turned his gaze back to the other hell hound that had gotten to its feet and looking at him with the intent to kill.

"Adam."

Adam glanced at Tsura. She looked like she was going to get up. Adam didn't know much about magic but he understood that it required concentration to make sure it was strong. He sensed that if Tsura moved, whatever she was doing would end and it would leave Angela's body vulnerable. He held up his hand and called out, "Don't move. Stay where you are."

"But…"

"Don't move," Adam warned. He glanced at Tsura but kept more of his attention on the hell hound that was looking at him like he was a snack. "You need to protect her body." He lowered his hand and stared at the hell hound.

"But…"

"Tsura," Adam replied in a calm tone as he looked at the hell hound. He could tell that its reaction time was slowed since it was injured. But that didn't mean that it was going to make things easy. It was still a formidable beast. And he didn't have a weapon which was lying closer towards Tsura. That wasn't going to help him so he was going to have to improvise. "Just keep Angie safe," he said as he slowly moved so he was in a position to get to his feet.

Adam kept his eye on the hell hound and was ready for it when it sprang. He managed to move out of the way and roll to his feet. He kept his eyes on the padding in the dirt since that was his best indicator where the hell hound was going to be. He looked around for a weapon of opportunity but that was a costly mistake.

He was tackled by the hell hound. He had his hands up barely in time to keep from his head being bitten off. He pushed against the weight as he was pinned to the ground. He struggled to try and get a foothold and the advantage but it was hard to do so with a pair of snapping jaws and noxious breath in your face and clearly intent on killing you. He couldn't call out to Cerebus because the hell hound was pinned down and tried to get an upper hand but was fading fast. And Tsura was all alone and Mac…

Adam grunted when the hell hound managed to lower its jaws. He adjusted his grip to push back again but the hell hound seemed to get stronger. It was grating on his strength and he could feel the noxious breath getting closer and closer. He pushed back but the teeth were getting closer. He couldn't see them but he knew they were getting close.

"Adam!"

"Stay back," Adam grunted as he renewed his struggle. "Don't let the wards go!"

Adam knew it was foolish but… He brought his arm up and began striking the hell hound. He was certain that he hit the head because it whined with the strikes. He had to get free and get a weapon to kill the then. He gave one more strike but it was caught in the jaws and he cried out in pain as the jaws clamped on his forearm. He could feel the flesh tear as the head jerked his arm. It was strong enough to rip it off and it felt like it was. He grunted and tried to get free but he couldn't. It seemed like the end since he could feel the teeth going in deeper and deeper.

 _Sorry Angie. I tried._

"Adam!"

Adam grunted as he was jerked to the side while the hell hound was holding onto his arm. His arm was definitely going to be torn off. He cried out when all of a sudden he heard the loud bangs of a gun go off. Multiple shots and the whimpers of the hell hound in pain and dying. Adam felt his arm released and rolled over and away from the beast as more shots fired. He held his arm and looked up.

"At least you didn't start this party without me."

* * *

Mac backed off slightly as he glared at Michael. He had cuts and bruises forming on his body but he was still in the fight. And he held up pretty good against the archangel. It helped that he had practice fighting against some of the toughest of beings, his friend Angela being one of them. When she fought no holds barred, she went all out but she did draw the line at her abilities. It was a thing had had him constantly perplexed.

"Don't tell me you're tired already."

Mac looked up as he panted. He saw Michael looking at him with a mocking look that clearly said that he wasn't impressed with his abilities so far. He rubbed his sore shoulder and straightened up while giving a slight grin. "Oh I'm just getting started," he replied with a half chuckle.

Michael looked at Mac not sure of what to think about that response. "You really want to test me?"

"I think that was a given when you decided to chase after my best mate and her friend," Mac countered in a joking manner. It was a serious matter but Mac found that by making light of it, it had the potential to annoy his enemy since he wasn't reacting in the manner that they come to expect. That was another thing that he learned from Angela and was grateful for. It helped on other matters that were a personal nature. "So why ask the question?"

Michael looked at Mac and couldn't make heads or tails of what the game was with this human despite being the fact that he wasn't real. He couldn't understand human behavior even when he was occupying Adam. Most of all he couldn't understand her. And he knew her long before all this started just like Lucifer and a few choice others. He couldn't understand the need to joke when they knew that their circumstances are so dire. He merely stood there looking at Mac not certain of what to say.

"Oye. Cat got your tongue mate?"

Michael narrowed his eyes at Mac. He had enough and gave a wave of his hand. "Silence."

Mac let himself be carried and relaxed his body. It was one of the basics he learned growing up and learning the hunt. It was a tactic employed by circus folk and acrobats. You learn how to fall by relaxing and not tensing. The automatic response to when injury is anticipated is to tense up and brace for the impact. He learned the opposite. It was one of the reasons why a sodding drunk walked away with minor injuries in a car wreck.

It didn't stop it from hurting. It just made the possibility of a more serious injury less likely. He landed hard on the ground behind some shrubs after hitting a tree. He couldn't help but let out a grunt and allowed himself a few deep breaths. It was then that he came up with a plan but it was going to have to take some serious timing. He looked at the tree and started to get to work.

Michael sighed in annoyance. He knew that he hadn't thrown Max too hard. He should have been able to get up. Hell the Winchesters were on their feet faster than that. It made him think that Mac was all talk and just playing the tough card. He started walking towards where Mac had landed saying, "Please, I thought you were ready for this. That you were just getting started."

Michael paused when Mac popped up from behind the shrubs. He gave a slight grin as he eyed Mac seemed to slump a little bit. He was weak even for a human that wasn't even real. "You really are a weak bag of puss."

Mac couldn't help but start to chuckle. It came out in spurts since he was taking deep breaths to get his second wind and he was trying hard not to let it get too out of hand. It finally came out in a hard laugh and it was enough to have Michael pause. Mac said, "You really are feathered dicks." He paused and looked around as he thought about what he said. "I actually like that description. Angie was right on. And she said she learned it from her big brother and I'm guessing that it isn't you." He looked at Michael with a slightly raised brow.

Michael looked at Mac and pressed, "And what do you know about that?"

"Logic," Mac replied with a shrug, shifting slightly. "The way that Angie spoke of you, it was almost like it was personal. I guessed that you have met before I knew her."

Michael eyed Mac with suspicion. He supposed that made sense since he wasn't always watching before all this. He relied on the reports and what his underlings reported particularly on Castiel. It didn't escape his notice that Joshua had sought out the angel to give him the order to assume guardianship and all under the guise that their father had asked it of him. Michael didn't believe it since dad was not in the picture but he was going to continue to do what his father had written. Right now though he had to deal with this human that wasn't real but was every bit the pain in the ass. "We all know her so that is nothing new."

"Of course. How could I forget?" Mac shuffled on his feet. He watched Michael as he edged forward. He almost had it. "She is centuries older than me and probably spent that time trying to stay hidden from you."

Michael was annoyed and ready to finish this, "All right, enough. I am tired of this game. Tell me where she is and maybe it will be less painful when I destroy her illusions of you and take back my vessel in front of her." He stepped forward and it was then that he noticed that something was off. He looked and saw the blood. "What…?"

Mac smirked as he slammed his bloodied hand onto the sigil that he painted onto the tree. He shielded his eyes with his other hands as he watched Michael disappear in a blinding flare of white light. He blinked where Michael had once stood and looked at his hand and the sigil and muttered, "Huh. It did work."

There wasn't much time to waste since he was certain that Michael would be back and doubly pissed off at that. So Mac took a breath and sprinted towards the cave where Adam had ran to. He shook his hand to ward off the sting and to grab the one thing that he was definitely good with and checked to make sure that it was locked and loaded. "I'm better shooting than I am with a knife, lass," he muttered more in memory of a conversation he once had with Angela.

He went into the cave to find Cerebus in a fight and he was losing with one hell hound. The other was facing Adam and looked ready to charge. And right smack in the middle was Tsura sitting on the ground and he could make out the faint outline of a ward and it was holding strong but she was sitting there looking scared. At one point she moved like she was going to help Adam but he told her to stay put.

Mac knew he had to help. He took aim and leaded his target. He didn't want to hit Cerebus but he had to take the shot. He took aim with his assault rifle and put two in the hell hound on Cerebus. Since this place was how they made it, he strongly thought that his bullets were the silver and iron rounds that were very effective against the things of the pit. It worked and the hell hound was down and he rounded in on the one Adam was handling and it was a good thing too.

The hell hound was about to take a bite out of Adam's throat. Luckily for Mac he was sniper trained and took the shot. The hell hound was down and lying on its side heaving black goo. He looked at Adam and grinned, "At least you didn't start this party without me."

"The party started when we were attacked," Adam retorted as he got to his feet. "Better late than never," he added with a slight grin on his face.

Mac grinned at Adam for the comment. He lowered his weapon and looked around and patted Cerebus on the head when the hell hound came to stand near him. He spun to look at Tsura and joked, "Told ya it would be alright."

Mac watched as Tsura gave a wave of her hand and the ward disappeared. He moved to glance at the body. It was relatively unharmed. That was good news. He gave a hand to Tsura to help her up. He looked at her and asked, "You alright love?"

"I'm good. And I can't believe you did that!"

Mac watched as she gave a slap to Adam's chest and joked, "Did I miss something?"

"Just that this guy tried to be a hero," Tsura countered with a narrowed look at Adam.

"And what you were doing was important," Adam countered with a narrowed grin as he took a couple of deep breaths.

Mac knew that he was going to have to break this up. He put a hand on Adam's shoulder and was going to say something when he was sent flying and into the cave wall. He hit hard and thought he heard a dull crunch meaning that something was broken. He let out a grunt of pain as he landed hard on the ground.

Cerebus growled and barked. It told Mac that he was attacking. He shifted to get a view and heard the yelp of pain. He blinked as he saw Cerebus lying on the ground whining in pain. He heard Adam calling out possibly to Tsura. Mac grunted and closed his eyes and the shot open when he heard Tsura scream Adam's name.

Michael was there looking completely pissed. He would be since he used an angel banishing sigil on him. At least it wasn't holy fire. From what he heard, that was a guarantee to piss him off. Mac gasped as he tried to get to his feet but he had been given a good clout and it was going to take serious effort to do so. His rage was upped when he saw Michael grab Tsura by the neck and it looked like he was going to snap her neck. Adam was on the ground writhing in pain and blood was coming out of his mouth.

"Finally this pointless game ends."

Mac looked to see Michael squeeze on Tsura's neck and then throw her aside. It left a clear opening for him to reach Angela's body. That was not going to happen. He pushed himself to his feet and took aim with his gun. Surprisingly he still had it and he was going to use it. He took a shot.

It stopped Michael and the angel turned to look at him. Max could tell that the angel was seriously pissed and this might be the end. If that were the case then it was worth it. If he could distract the angel enough… The next moment he felt intense pain in his stomach and he felt the coppery taste of blood in his mouth but he was still standing. He looked at the angel and spat out the blood. He lifted his gun again but the pain in his abdomen was increased and it had him double over. He them felt himself lifted and he was staring down at the angel and it felt like he was choking.

"You think you can still win? Well watch as I kill her."

"Not likely."

Mac blinked wide eyed but couldn't speak as his throat was being held. His lip twitched though. He knew what was coming and it was something that he didn't expect.

* * *

 **A/N:** Looks like things aren't looking good and Adam is almost a hell hound chew toy until Mac comes along. But it isn't over yet. Stay tuned for the conclusion of Over the Edge...


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Sam heard the snap of the fingers and the crunch of bone. He was well aware that he cried out for Lucifer not to do it. But it did and the crunch was loud in his ears. And then there was the grunt of pain. Wait… pain? Sam frowned and lifted his head since there wasn't a sound made if someone's neck was broken like that.

There was blinding light but Sam could see the silhouette of someone and they were holding onto Lucifer's hand and it was a tight grip. He was staring at Lucifer with murderous intent and lying on the ground was Angela. She was semi-conscious and he could make out her eyes opening meaning that she had some sort of consciousness but it was alarming that they weren't coherent.

Another crunch sounded and Sam heard Lucifer actually grunt and he heard a feminine grunt. He directed his attention to the source and he saw Angela, the one that had been with him, wrenching the evil doppelganger of Angela by the arm to the point of disarticulation. But that wasn't what had his attention.

Lucifer's hand was straining from the pain of the figure that was holding onto it. Sam strained to see who it was but all he could make out was that it was male and probably as tall as him. The light was too bright for him to see. What could see was that they were on his and Angela's side for the most part. He wasn't going to presume since there were people that would help out Angela but wouldn't do anything willingly for him or Dean. Right now though he was holding onto the hope that it was going to be for the better.

"So you finally came out. I wondered when that would happen."

Sam frowned as he watched Lucifer look at his attacker and speak to him. There was no response but Sam could tell that whatever this guy was doing was talking through his actions. That certainly put a spin on actions speaking louder than words. Sam watched as Lucifer grinned but it was laced with pain as he stared at his captor.

"Seriously? You're really going to play the silent card?"

Lucifer was looking annoyed and Sam could tell that was not going to make things end well. He had been on the receiving end of the devil's annoyance. This was not going to go well if it was going to get more violent and judging from the case, it probably was going in that direction. He couldn't help himself and voiced, "Don't."

No one paid attention to him. The Angela that said she was the part of her that was his made a move and wrenched the arm of the darker version. He winced at the crunching sound. It wasn't his Angela but it had her face and it was hard to see her go through any trauma that would leave serious injuries. And yet the darker version only made an initial sound but after that, she merely stared and took the pain from what the other Angela was doing.

It was like watching Angela torturing herself. And Sam had a front row seat. It had him thinking if this was how she battled with herself when it came to the choices she made and with what she did before they met and after they met. It pained him that she seemed so split and there were times that she seemed to hate herself. He felt his eyes water as tears threatened, watching her two selves.

The darker half then reacted and started fighting the other one. It was a visual form of how Angela wrestled with what she did back then and what she didn't want to be. Sam remembered how she told him that she had been trained in arts that took a lifetime to master and some of that included the best ways of killing. She described it as being trained to be a killer and she didn't know it at the time and was why some of her anger was directed at her father after she died and then he died bringing her back. Then it was flung hard in her face when she was a prisoner of hell under Alistair's knife.

 _Angie, you are not a killer._ "You are not a killer," Sam breathed as he looked down, not wanting to see her battle herself but then looking down, he saw the real Angela on the ground, wincing in pain. He tried getting her attention, "Angie, listen to me. Please look at me."

There was some response and Angela shifted to look at him. That gave Sam some relief. She was looking at him but it didn't help that it was slightly glazed indicative of the pain she was in. And if she felt it here then… He didn't want to think about the result of her physical body. It was enough to make him angry since he had seen what had happened to her and killed because of it.

"Sam?"

It was a whisper but it got his attention. Sam looked down and saw her looking at him. Her hand was stretched out towards him while on the ground. She was trying to get up. She was being who she was, not giving up as long as she had a breath in her body when it came to the fight. Sam moved to try and make the same movement towards her. His was awkward because of the meat hooks pulled and tearing his skin. Still he made an effort and reached for her too.

"I don't think so."

Sam blinked the moment he saw Angela slide backwards on the ground. Looking up he saw Lucifer pulling on her leg to bring her closer to him. Of the other guy that stopped the devil from killing her he didn't see and he wondered if it was a figment of his imagination. He looked around and saw the darker form of Angela coming towards him and grab him by the hair.

Sam had been stabbed, shot and a bunch or other things but hair pulling was a new thing. Actually he was used to Angela pulling it but always in an affectionate way and he loved how she massaged his scalp. This pulling was different and he could see it since she forced him to look her in the eyes. Those eyes…

He had always been fascinated by the coloring of her eyes, the tawny amber color and when they glowed when she vamped out… They were glittery, bright and full of life. This one… they eyes were pitch black like those of a demon. It made him swallow back the feeling of bile that threatened to rise in his throat. And they were looking at him with intense hatred or… He made a sound when the darker version pressed her lips to his and kissed him long and hard. It wasn't like the kisses he and the real Angela shared. This was full of lust or just…

Sam didn't want to resist but he did. He pulled back and looked at this darker version in the eye with wide eyes, not sure whether to be repulsed, terrified or what. He just stared into those black orbs and she stared back. There was no emotion. No nothing as she ran her hand along his face, tracing the cuts made by Lucifer from beating his ass black and blue. The blank stare was nothing compared to the bland ones she would give when she was never sure what emotion to convey and was one that he fully hated.

Sam felt his body tense when her hand started moving towards his chest. He couldn't help but jerk since the touch was not hers. Even though it looked like her it wasn't her and it bothered him greatly. And she didn't seem to care that it did bother him. He just stared at her blank eyes when he felt a sharp and burning pain in his left shoulder. He cried out as his arm fell slack. Looking up, he saw her darker self holding the meat hook she had ripped from his shoulder, bloodied in her hand. There was no emotion on her face as she stared at him as he continued to grunt and hiss from the pain.

It was worse than ripping a band aid off when the second ripped from under his right pec. He couldn't help but cry out in pain and looked up to see the bloodied hooks in her hands. His body collapsed to the ground and the wet sound of blood filled his ears as it dripped from the open wounds in his body. He put his right to the ground to support him since his left was near useless.

It was pointless since he was given a hard hit to the face and he fell back. He landed on his back hard and he felt winded. He grunted and shifted to look around. He saw Angela on the ground sporting a nasty cut under her eye as she struggled under Lucifer's grip. His arms were wrapped around her neck and in a perfect position to break it. He then heard her cry out and that was when he saw Lucifer driving something into her side.

Sam's reaction was like that of when she was attacked when she was a little girl and taken from him. It was visceral and prompted him to move. He managed to get to his hands and knees before getting a kick to the ribs. It hurt like a bitch and then the fists came down between his shoulder blades and he was flat on his stomach. The hands came quick and wrapped around his neck in the same position that Lucifer was holding Angela and it was clear that it was a move to kill.

"It's inevitable. We all succumb to darkness."

Sam heard the darker Angela whisper in her ears. He was panted as he was trying to get a good grip. He glanced up and saw Lucifer almost getting the one up to kill her. He heard the darker Angela whisper something else as she tightened her grip. He wasn't going to have it and grunted out and made his move.

He twisted his body and pinned the darker Angela to the ground and wrapped his hands around her neck. He was ready to squeeze the life out of her when he heard her speak. She sounded like the real Angela, looking at him and begging him to stop. He paused and that was his undoing. She pinned him again and told him he was a weakling and that he deserved to die.

The killing blow was about to be delivered and Sam was certain that he heard the real Angela call out to him. He wasn't sure because there was a blinding light. He squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them he found that his arms were raised up and he blinked in confusion while lowering them to look around. He twisted slowly while ignoring the pain in his body.

The light was still around but Lucifer and the dark Angela were gone. His companion and the real one were still there and then that mysterious figure that he had seen before was back. His back was facing towards Sam and was standing between her and him. It had him on alert even though the guy helped him. He had to ask, "Who are you? What do you want?"

The strange figure said nothing. Sam watched as he continued to look down at Angela. She was lying face down. It looked like she had been beaten to unconsciousness. It had Sam hitch his breath and he struggled to get to his feet but the best he could do was crawl towards her. He grunted out her name, "Angie."

In the meantime, the figure walked towards Angela and kneeled in front of her. Sam gritted his teeth from the pain as he continued to make his way forward. He heard the guy in front of him call to Angela and speak, "Angie. Come on. Time to wake up."

That seemed to get Angela to respond. She moaned as she opened her eyes and looked up. Sam thought she said something but he couldn't hear. The guy in front of him reached out and slowly stroked her cheek and started speaking to her. Sam paid no attention as he kept trying to get closer. He had little strength to get to his feet so crawling was his best bet. He kept asking the guy, "Hey. What do you want? Who are you?"

As Sam got closer, the light that was there got brighter. It forced Sam to squint but he didn't give up moving closer. He had to get to Angela and make sure she was okay and tell her to stay strong. He couldn't tell her to stay away since that wouldn't make sense. She was in hell with him and that was the end of it. "Angie," he grunted like it was almost a whisper.

Sam kept inching his way forward. When he was close enough, the guy that was kneeling in front of him suddenly turned and looked at him full on. Sam paused and looked at him. His eyes when wide in realization just as the light got brighter. It was then that he felt the familiar and light touch of her hand…

* * *

Angela was tired and hurting. She didn't want to give up but it was impossible to escape from an angel's wrath that would come in an instant. She would know since Zachariah decided to basically break her down literally. Of course that was pure picnic compared to what Lucifer had in mind for her. It was then that she heard Sam cry out for Lucifer to stop and a bright light appeared.

She found herself dropped. Her first thoughts were that Sam had gotten free and started going crazy because she was hurt. That was his normal reaction and no matter how many times she scolded and teased about it… right now it was welcome. It was dispelled however when she looked up when she heard her name and saw Sam hanging from meat hooks. It had her confused at who it was that helped her but…

"Angie."

Hearing her name, she looked at Sam and returned the call and reached out towards him. She saw Sam try to do the same thing. Suddenly she found herself being grabbed by the leg and pulled away from Sam. It was like those creepy horror movies as she slid across the ground and towards the thing that could kill her. She dug her nails into the ground and it felt like she was getting her nails ripped out as she dug in.

The next thing she knew, Lucifer was on top of her back and holding her in a chokehold and forcing her to watch. She watched as a darker version of herself toyed with Sam. She felt her breath hitch as she watched her darker self grab Sam's hair, and pull it and touch him. She hissed when the meat hooks were ripped out of Sam.

She had seen blood before. She had fought in wars and spilled that blood herself but it was always different when it was someone that you cared about. She watched as Sam collapse and then her darker self moved to pin him in the same manner that Lucifer had her. She felt Lucifer tug her and he whispered in her ear, "Just keep on trying. You're not going to get out of this any time soon."

Then she felt the sharp pain in her side as Lucifer stabbed her in the side. And that started a rampage she knew would get Sam going. She struggled and luckily the blade was pulled out but Lucifer still had the upper hand on her and had her pinned. She was in a good position to see that Sam had straddled her dark half and was in a position to choke her.

It had to be torture to Sam when her dark half begged as she would, begging Sam not to hurt her. She knew that Sam still felt guilty about what he had done to her on Valentine's Day with the whole thing with famine. She saw it in the look he gave her when he realized whose blood it was he swallowed from the vial. And now it was going to be the thing that would cost him and she saw it as her dark half used his hesitation to her advantage and twisted to pin him.

"I knew it. You're too weak. You won't do what needs to be done."

Angela saw the killing blow that would be done. She knew it all too well having done it herself. She used it several times over. She couldn't helped it. She elbowed Lucifer despite the pain that she was in and scrambled to try and reach Sam. She screamed, "Sam!" Her hand was outstretched, reaching towards Sam.

The white light was blinding and it almost seared her eyeballs. She forced them shut but continued to reach out for Sam. She thought that she felt Lucifer's hand on her leg but it was gone. She thought she heard his voice but it was gone. She couldn't open her eyes yet since the light could blind her. She thought Michael was adding to the fun he and Lucifer were having or it was all Lucifer's doing just to make her see that she really had no control here in hell. Rather she felt like all her energy was expended and she just collapsed.

 _Angie._

She heard his voice and she could smell him. It was Sam but it couldn't be. She was in hell. She was trying to find him. It was one of Lucifer's tricks.

 _No lying on the job now._

Angela felt a finger gently hook under her chin and lift her head. She looked up and saw Sam. He was kneeling and looking at her with that gentle smile that made her feel like putty. "Sam," she breathed.

"You've done what you came to do."

"No I didn't. I…"

"You did."

Angela looked at the smile that was on Sam's face. It was more reassuring than she had seen since being here. It allowed her to breathe and relax. But she was still concerned and voiced it, "But…"

"You have to go now. You are in danger in the real world."

"But I can't leave you here."

"Then take us. Take us both."

At that moment the light grew brighter and Angela squinted but she felt the rush of energy. Sam was disappearing. There was no way she was going to leave him behind. She reached out and grabbed his hand and held on as the light engulfed them both. It was so bright that she closed her eyes to avoid being blinded. When she opened them she found that she was in a cave and Michael was looming over her ready to kill her.

It was a split second when Sam tackled the archangel. It surprised her since one, Sam was there and two, Sam got the one up on an archangel. She didn't have time to reflect on that since Michael managed to throw off Sam and was turning onto Adam and Mac. She flipped forward onto her feet and charged forward. It was probably foolish and she was going on instinct. She ended up grabbing the archangel and throwing him as hard as she could.

She followed through by flinging her arm in a sweeping motion. It was a good thing too since some of Lucifer's minions had manifested and were making their way towards Tsura and the others. They flew like they were rag dolls and hit the walls leaving Michael standing there. She narrowed her eyes at Michael as she backed into a fighting stance.

Michael narrowed his own eyes at Angela as she prepared to fight with her. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?" Angela kept her focus on Michael.

"I can understand coming back from the dream state on your own but you brought back another."

Angela blinked slightly and shifted. She wasn't hallucinating when she saw Sam. There he was standing beside her. He was covered in dried blood and injuries but he was there. She brought him with her? She frowned and looked at Michael. She grunted and held up her fists and replied, "Good. More to beat the crap out of you."

Michael grinned, "Fine." He raised his fingers and snapped them.

There was a loud crack and Sam and Adam were both down grabbing a limb. Adam held his arm and Sam grabbed his leg. Angela looked at them and gritted her teeth. Her breath came in heaves as she panted, trying to control it but it was too much. She let her rage take over and with a feral growl, she rounded on the archangel and flew at him.

Angela had been told that she was fast but she scoffed at the idea. When she was in the zone, she only had eyes for her enemy and in this case it was Michael. She flew at him and threw punches. They made contact with flesh and it was satisfying to hear. Some of her blows were blocked but that didn't matter. All she saw was red and Michael's face. At one point they grabbed each other by the collar and slammed each other into the walls.

It was a painful business since they left sizeable dents in the walls. Angela persevered and managed to slam Michael into a wall causing the walls to start to crumble. She turned towards Mac and Tsura and said, "Mac, Tsura, get them out."

Angela didn't need to watch them do it. She turned her attention to Michael as he got up. The walls were starting to crumble meaning that it was going to collapse soon. She didn't have a whole lot of time. She readied herself as Michael did the same. She grinned a bit and waited until Michael made his move and charged.

Gabriel had been the angel, the archangel, that taught her how to fight against his kind. He taught her how to use her abilities to the max and effectively since angels were the toughest things to beat and could do a lot of damage. He never made her dependent on a weapon but instead taught her to use her bare fists and to use her abilities as a sort of last resort kind of thing. His reasoning was that she would become too dependent on a weapon and not her brain, her resourcefulness. The lesson was a hard one and she ended up with a lot of bruises for her trouble but she learned and she was using it to her advantage.

It also helped that after Gabriel she trained with various martial artist masters including Master Ru. They taught her fighting styles as well as the philosophies attached to them. In turn, she combined them to create a unique style of her own and that fed into the reputation the known world had of her. She used it now against Michael, delivering blows that held a lot of power behind them. It also was pretty destructive when she was super mad. It was why she always tried to talk things out.

"You're doing well. I remember this part. Of course to go all the way I guess I'll have to kill Sam."

Angela growled and she shoved Michael into the wall. It was the straw that broke the camel's back. The walls were coming down. Looking up, Angela knew she had to get out. She charged towards the exit but she was not going to make it unless… A bark got her attention and she felt relief and joy. She sprang and grabbed onto Cerebus as he charged right by her.

By that time, more of the ceiling was coming down. She held on and said, "Charge Cerebus. Go, go, go!"

Cerebus gave a final lunge and they cleared the cave just as it collapsed. Angela let go and hit the ground and rolled clear. She came to a stop and looked at the damage and sighed on relief and got to her feet. She made her way to where Adam and Sam were waiting with Tsura and Mac. She collapsed to sit next to Sam and even though he was grimacing from the broken leg, he was smiling in relief.

"It's you."

"Who else would it be?" Angela couldn't help but tease him.

Sam chuckled and Angela drew him into a hug. It was a relief to be together. She looked at Adam and grinned, "Well I guess that's phase one done. Time for phase two."

"Phase two?" Adam looked at her alarmed.

"I don't want to know," Sam muttered with a slight grin. There was still things to talk about but there was plenty of time to do that while they were stuck in hell.

Angela looked at them and chuckled. It died when a mocking clap sounded. She turned to look in the direction of the sound. Her eyes narrowed as Lucifer stepped into view. She stood up and made ready to fight. She waited until Lucifer made a move and she charged. Her attack was batted aside and she was grabbed by her neck. She was then flung until she was suspended in midair. She couldn't move and all she could see was Sam and Adam being pinned on the ground. She turned her attention to the devil and growled, "Lucifer."

Lucifer grinned at her, "Now, now. You've had your fun." He looked at everyone. "You've have your protection in what you created. Now it's time to get to business." He chuckled as he looked at them. "This is going to be fun."

Angela grunted as she was suspended. She tried to struggle but she couldn't get free. She looked at Sam and Adam. She had long known that she was walking into a bigger game but she clung to the belief that she could do better. Now she was caught. Sam was caught. And now they were going to get into something that would prove to be the true test of withstanding hell. She glanced at Sam and stretched her hand towards him.

 _Remember. Always and forever._

* * *

 **A/N:** Sam and Angie are out of the dream and together but it isn't over. Stay tuned for the next episode of Chronicles of Absolution: Let the Games Get Bloody...


End file.
